Return to Rio
by PrairieRose1017
Summary: The sequal to Remember Rio. Old enemies, from way back before Nico and Sonny met, will surface, and put them in grave danger yet again. Will they survive?
1. Chapter 1: Home Sweet Home

**Alright peeps! This is the sequal to Remember Rio, which I really hope you have read if you're looking at this. If you havn't I beg you to please read it first, or you'll be confused. **

**Anyhow, if you have read Remember Rio: a)I made some edits that I think made it a bit better, and b)you're gonna love the edits on this story! ;) There are going to be a lot of changes. New scenes, new emotions, new detail, and, of course, new songs. I hope that my work will be to your liking and if so please tell me. Even if you think there are a few little things that need to be fixed let me know, NICELY!**

**Now I'll can it and let you read the goods! **

**I OWN NOTHING FROM THIS EXCEPT THE PLOT LINE AND ORIGINAL CHARACHTERS! THANK YOU!**

**ALSO A SHOUT OUT TO BLUESKY STUDIOS: WITHOUT YOU GUYS WE WOULDN'T BE HERE SO THANK YOU SO MUCH! XD**

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><p><strong>Return to Rio<strong>

**Chapter 1**

**Home Sweet Home**

"Good morning Sunshine." A soft voice cooed in my ear as feathers brushed across my face. I didn't open my eyes to reply.

"Fivmoreminutes." I grumbled, nearly inaudibly, turning away from the voice and wrapping my wing around my chest. I heard the voice chuckle softly, and I received a soft shake and a gentle peck on my cheek.

"C'mon sweetie. Pedro's already trying to get the speakers working. The concert is in two hours." The honey-like voice of my Nico informed me gently. I jumped up, eyes wide. As I sat up, I was immediately wrapped in the bright yellow wings of my sunbeam. He held me tightly in his strong wings and spun around. I laughed in a surprised way, until he stopped. When he did, though, he didn't put me down.

"Let me go! I have to get ready." I told him and wiggled a bit.

"You know I just can't do that," He turned back to our nest and tossed me down into the bowl of moss and feathers, then lay down next to me with a smirk. "Without a tickle war first!" Then he grabbed me just above my hips and I yelped.

"Oh that's how you want it?" I gasped through my laughter.

"Of course!" He chuckled as I poked him in the side. This made him back off ever so slightly, and I jumped up and ran into the guest bedroom. I heard Nico fly after me and hid just behind the door. He walked in the room crooning, "Sonny. Soooooonny. Come on baby." I had to put my wing over my mouth just so I didn't squeal. As he walked further in, I silently tip-toed out, but, heaven forbid, I brushed past a few vines a little too quickly and they scraped against my feathers making a scratching sound.

"Oh no!" I breathed and whipped my gaze to Nico. He had a devilish smile on his face as he ran forward to catch me. I squealed and tried to run, but tripped on the threshold and crashed to the ground. This was in conjunction with Nico tackling me, and we rolled across the floor of our hollow until we came to a halt. I had him pinned down on a moss rug, my wings on his shoulders, and our beaks inches apart.

"Well, that'll show you to tickle me." I fell into his eyes and was suddenly utterly breathless.

"I guess it will." He murmured quietly and I leaned down to kiss him. There was a new type of ardency in the kiss, but I was able to turn my brain on, and sat up when Nico placed a wing on the small of my back. I stood and walked out of the room trying to calm my pounding heart. _That was a little hot…_ I thought with mixed emotions. I heard Nico do the same and follow me out into the kitchen.

Making sure I was on the other side of the counter, I looked at our little fruit pile. There was a perfectly round orange on the top, and I took it and started peeling for us to share.

"Mmm! My favorite!" Nico said lightly leaning on the counter. I turned and beamed at him. There was just something about the way he smiled, and the way his eyes twinkled that made me feel alive.

"I love you." I told him randomly and handed him half of the orange.

"I love _you_." He replied and took a huge bite of the orange slice in his wings. The juice exploded all over the counter and on our feathers. But unluckily for me a few drops flew into my open eyes.

"Ahh! Nico! You got juice in my eye!" I wailed and rubbed at my stinging eyes furiously.

"I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed and ran around the counter to me.

"No, no. I'm fine." I blinked a few times and got my eyes to tear up. Finally the pain subsided and I was able to see clearly again. A few of the tears rolled down my cheeks and Nico brushed them away and pulled me into a hug.

"My bad." He whispered.

"No worries." I replied and pecked his cheek. Then I remembered the concert, "Two hours huh?"

Nico was confused at first but the change in subject clicked quickly. "Oh yeah." He murmured and held me in a loose hug.

"Well, give me thirty minutes and I'll be on the stage. Try and keep Pedro alive till then." I joked.

"I doubt you need that much time, but I'll do my best. We'll be testing the equipment. Love you!" He pecked my cheek and soared out the door.

"Love you more!" I called after him.

Nico circled the tree shouting, "I seriously doubt it!" I just laughed as he heads off for the club, after a final wave.

"'I seriously doubt it.' The little flirt." I chuckled and ruffled my feathers. "Suppose I should go and actually get ready." With a quick glance around, so I didn't run anyone over, I soared out of the hollow and off to the waterfall. Soon I arrive at the semi-circular pool with the wispy falls cascading around the rocks.

There were several small pools that were constantly being refreshed with new water, where everyone came to clean up. With a small laugh I glided behind the deafening waterfall and found a little pool where no one was. _Hello old friend._ I thought and cannonballed right into the crystal clear water, and choked on a shriek; it was FREEZING! I jumped back out and caught my breath.

"Ok…ok…Let's take this a little slower." I breathed and inched my way back into the water. "Ahh. There." I sunk up to my beak, and dove beneath the surface, scrubbing my feathers and watching the dirt sink to the bottom. I loved the feel of the fresh water flowing through my feathers, all the way to my down, then touching my skin in the crispest of touches.

For a while I kept diving and resurfacing, making sure I was completely clean. When I finally met my terms of cleanliness, I shook the last droplets of water off my sunshine yellow feathers, creating a small rainbow in the afternoon sunshine. I found a sharp rock and filed my talons to the perfect length and sharpness. Carefully I ran a feather along each one and enjoyed the feeling of their honed edges. _Perfect._

Then I flew out from behind the falls and felt the warm afternoon breeze dry my feathers. Performing a few crazy moves, my spiral included, I dried my feathers all the way and felt amazing. With a happy little cheer I took off through the trees and back to my beloved Canary Corner. I had left the door open and soared in right to our room.

Plopping down to the vanity, I started on my concert look. I smoothed down my, now incredibly soft, feathers, took a pinch of glitter and sprinkled that around my head. When satisfied with the level of sparkle, I walked over to a little dresser I had made out of a matchbox, and chose a tan-gold scarf. With a few flicks of my wrist I wrapped it around my neck and smiled at my mirror.

"Lookin' good!" I click my tongue and laugh at my own goofiness. Then I sat back down to the vanity and took my necklace off its little hook.

The colors on the inside of a small speckled clamshell, danced as it twirled around, untangling the chord it was attached to. My mother had given me this shell as a gift on my sixteenth birthday as a reminder that love is what moves us, what makes us feel the samba. After nearly getting myself killed by a crazy owl by the name of Luís, I had felt let down; hopeless. Only a few years later I had been reminded of samba when Nico found me and made me remember everything before the incident.

As a gift, Nico had taken the shell, in secret, and made it into a necklace. The chord it hung on he had woven himself, with some special string and had strung sequins of different colors in the weave. He had also found someone to engrave the inside with the words:

_I love you now, and forever; as long as samba fills the Rio air, and I can be with you. You'll never forget because this shell will be your reminder of everything that our love is. I love you with all of my heart Sonny. _

_~Nico_

I wore it absolutely everywhere, and never went a day without reading those words. Gently, I slipped it over my head and rested it on top of the scarf. "Perfect." Mumbling to myself I walked back to the front door. Leaping outside I shut the door tightly behind me, and headed off for town.

The flight to town was short, but beautiful. The jungle was in full bloom, and everybird was paired up. I waved to Patty and Fernando as I soared by their hollow. "Bien suerte anoche!" The green parrot called and waved with his wing that wasn't wrapped around my friend.

"Muchas gracias!" I replied and flapped past with a bright smile. Fernando spoke mostly Spanish as he migrated here from Costa Rica several years ago. Being the great bird he is though, Fernando was trying to teach his language to us, and vice versa.

"Sonny! Hope tonight is as incredible as you've been making it sound!" Rafael caws from his platform nest. Ralphy is one of the best friends in the world, and had helped save my life the night I had been attacked.

"You know it will be! Bring the kids; they'll love it!" I called circling around a few times and drawing the kids attention to me and away from their exhausted parents.

"Sounds like a plan to me. What do you say kids?" Eva, proud toucan mother of six, asked her little ones. Cheers erupted from the hatchlings. Angel (Spanish enunciation, boy's name) Ezzy, and Pablo were the oldest and hovered off the ground a bit. Sophia, Maria, and Alejandro were the newest additions and could only hop around. They were all crazy balls of energy and feathers, and did their best to make the whole jungle get grey feathers.

I danced around the platform, dipping, diving, and spiraling around. This aroused more cheers from the Toucan family. Ali had a thing for collecting feathers, and whether they were attached to the bird when he saw them didn't matter. I had my fair share of welts from being plucked, and narrowly avoided losing a flight feather as a warm draft hefted me upwards.

I rode it up and shot through the canopy sending emerald green leaves flying in all directions. I hovered above the trees taking in the serine view of the city. The bay was sparkling in the sunshine, and every inch of the city was, again, ready for Carnival. I breathed in the scent of my home deeply, and glided out over the rooftops at a leisurely pace.

The Three Amigos had been touring all of South America for the past three years. We had just returned home and were having a welcome home concert at our beloved club: Three Amigos. While we were gone we had had to close it up, but our friends had kept it in good repair.

Seven days ago we had flown in, and had received a huge welcome home party. It had taken place at The Branch; an old club and the place where, well, all of our lives changed to say the least. After saying hello to our friends and family, they had escorted us to our club and showed us some of the renovations they had done while we were away.

We now had almost a foot extra on every side of the stage, and some hummingbirds had put together a colored glass disco ball. They had also constructed a huge dance floor, and made room around that for tables and a small bar. It was completely incredible. When I had seen our, now enhanced, club that night, I couldn't help but tear up at the wonders our friends had worked!

My parents, along with Rafael and Eva, had kept our hollows in a clean state. We had come home to freshly cleaned nests stuffed with down feathers and soft moss from the waterfall. As tired as we were from our long flight, the nests were like dreamy clouds, and we had collapsed in them instantaneously. Most of the next day went by before we woke up, and for the past five days we had just chilled out and readied the club for tonight.

I began to descend as the lights of our sign came into view. When I reached the door I strolled through calmly, just to see Pedro up to his neck in cords, and Nico trying, and failing, to untangle his poor brother. "Pedro! Did you trip again?" I sighed, gliding over to them.

"No. Nico pushed me." Pedro replied in a strangled voice.

"I did not! You tripped!" Nico pouted.

"Did too!"

"Did not!" I laughed as they continued to bicker, and examined the cords. I circled around them and found the single cord causing the problem and yanked on it, hard. With a scream, Pedro begins to spin around and around like a top until the cord ended. Then he flew into the air, with another squeal, and landed face-first on the dance floor.

"Ow." He lay there for a moment after squeaking out the word and I started to think he passed out.

"Pedro?" Nico and I stepped over to him and, thankfully, he rolled over.

"Girl, I think you broke my beak." The red-capped cardinal whined and placed his wing on his grey beak.

"Oh come here you big baby bird." I reached out a wing to touch his beak and he yelped and ran away. "What are you? Three?" I asked with a smirk.

"You've done enough damage!" He cried and Nico laughed.

"You're a baby," the canary teased, "Sonny has the golden touch." He beamed at me and brushed my wing. "See? Now I'm all yellow!" I rolled my eyes and kissed his cheek.

"You're a goofball." I murmured.

"Ah yes, but you like it!" He shrugged his eyebrows and I giggled.

"And I suddenly feel sick…" Pedro grumbled and walked back over to us.

"Sorry." I told him. Then a devilish smile played across my face. "At least it's not like that huge spider in Chile! She really had the hots for you!" I laughed out loud and jumped behind Nico as Pedro lunged at me. Let's just say that Pedro had acquired a life-long fan...

"Ha! What about that little finch in Venezuela?" Pedro cawed as he regained his balance.

"He's lucky he got away before I realized what was going on," Nico growled, while puffing up and placing a wing protectively around me, "I would have destroyed that little preener!"

"That's not even funny." I told Pedro.

This little, red finch had come into my room, unauthorized, and had begun to bother me; saying weird things like "Hope you enjoy our fair country, we don't want you here," and "Leave this place now, or face the consequences." I tried to make him go away but he couldn't be put off. Nico and Pedro had been making their way to my room, and I had screamed for help, when the finch drew a dagger. Just as they reached my door the bird lots his gusto and fled.

Later that night, somebody in the crowd had fired fireworks directly at us while we were performing. It had been an attempted murder, and we had fled that night to Colombia. There wasn't another problem, but it still gave us the heebie-jeebies.

"Don't even go there. We were all scared out of our feathers." I punched the grey bird's wing lightly, with my own wing that wasn't held in Nico's. Then we shivered off the memory, and turned to the stage, "Now for tonight…"

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><p><strong>OK so I know the beginning is a little steamy, but the rest was good...right?<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: Concert!

**New chapter 2! Hope you like the changes!** **Oh and P.S. I brought back an old scene I had replaced... It was brought to my attention that the end of this chapter didn't need to be changed, so I did but I didn't...haha ENJOY!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Concert!**

Excitedly I peeked out the door from our prep room just to be greeted by a roar of gibberish talking, and the rush of wings. Three Amigos was packed; everyone from The Toucan family to my parents was there. I stepped back into our prep room and asked, "How do you think we should start?" I was a little nervous, and trying my best to just take a few breaths and chill out. You'd think after hundreds of performances, all over the continent, I would be over my stage fright by now.

"I was thinkin' of starting with the end. You know the medley we always do?" Pedro suggested with a shrug.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Nico confirmed and rolled his bottle cap across his shoulders. "It's your turn to start bro." He taps Pedro with said cap and rolled it back up his wing, and onto his head. Then he winked at me.

"You're such a little flirt." I slapped his wing gently.

Locking his eyes with mine he says, "Mhm. That's, again, thanks to you."

"Oh right." I rolled my eyes and stopped the tirade before Pedro had to intervene. Then I stretched my wing and placed it in the middle of our group. "We ready?" I asked looking at my boys.

"Let's do this!" Nico jumped up and slaped his wing on mine. "Rio here we come!"

"Dynamite!" Pedro cawed and we cheered together, "Three Amigos forever!" The announcer started some warm up music to get the crowd into the mood.

"Alright Rio birds! Here we have the three best friends in the world, our hometown hotties; The Three Amigos!" The lights went black and Pedro soared out onto the stage. As his song started he did a little dancing, backed by slowly flashing strobe lights.

"_I came to dance, dance, dance, dance. I hit the floor cause that's my plans, plans, plans, plans. I'm wearing all my favorite brands, brands, brands, brands. Give me some space for both my wings, wings, wings, wings. Yeah yeah! Cause it goes on and on and on. And it goes on and on and on. Yeah!"_ The flashing speeds up, and Pedro continued to dance around until he had to sing again. When he hit his next note the Strobe lights shut off and the disco ball was hit by a spotlight. The whole club lit up in a shower of color.

"_I throw my wings up in the air sometimes, saying Ay-oh gotta let go! I wanna celebrate and live my life, saying Ay-oh, baby, let's go! Cause we're gonna rock this club. We gonna go all night. We gonna light it up like it's dy-no-mite!" _Small fireworks exploded and the song continueed._ "Cause I told you once, now I told you twice. We gonna light it up like it's dy-no-mite!"_ A few fireworks went off, along with the music, and the song changed. My turn.

Pedro left center stage and I soared out as drums played a soft solo and I started singing in a soft voice, then grow louder, then faded out again, _"I like, I like, I like (x3)." _As I finished, the soft white lights came on and I strolled across the stage towards Nico, nonchalantly singing my lines, _"Up in the mornin' I'll be your coffee cup; if you drink me down, I will fill you up again. And if you don't think that's enough…"_ I turned and shot Nico a little look, and he smile turning his wings, palms up, innocently. His big amber eyes widened when I giggled.

"_I'll be the prize on the back of the cereal box, and the key that you found that you thought that you lost, and…" _At this I met Nico at center stage, placed my wing on his chest, and twisted it like I was unlocking a lock. Nico beamed and placed his wings over his heart, then pretended to offer it to me with a wide grin, _"I'll be the why to your because…_

"_Because I, I, I am not perfect"_ I stepped away from Nico and placed my wings under my chin as I sang "perfect," _"But I, I, I, I know I'm worth it…" _ Nico and Pedro nodded furiously and the crowd laughed at them and thier silly faces. _"And I, I, I gotta believe that there has to be a you," _I cocked my hip out and pointed at Nico. He grabbed my wing and spun me to him so I could sing the last line in his wings, _"For every girl like me!" _

The lights, and music, slowly dimmed as Nico pressed his beak to mine, earning a whole bunch of whistles from the crowd. After we parted and laughed at their obnoxious cheering, it was my little sunbeam's turn to light up the stage.

Nico rocketed into the air as my beat droned out, and turned into a red-hot-chili-pepper fast samba with the blare of a trumpet. All three of us started the beginning singing, _"Aye-Eyie-Aye! Aye-Eyie-Aye!" _

"_Tonight the summer heat is burnin' into me."_ Nico hit the stage between us, slapping his bottle cap furiously to keep up the tempo. Red, orange and yellow lights illuminated the stage as we danced around.

"_Wa-Ah-O! Wa-Ah-O!" _We sang.

"_The rhythm of the beat will set my body free." _He shimmied around in a circle back to back with Pedro and I then shot into the air as the cardinal and I sang,

"_Wa-Ah-O! Wa-Ah-O!"_

"_And everyone's movin'. Every one's groovin'. I won't, and I tell you why-yi-ya-yi-ya-yi-ya-yi!" _There was a half-second pause and the lights went black. Again the trumpets blared and the song continued.

"_Oh-Eh-Oh!"_

"_Don't wanna hit the floor!" _

"_Oh-Eh-Oh!"_

"_We're not you anymore!"_

"_Oh-Eh-O!"_ Nico slapped his hat back on his head and grabbed my wing. With a wink he started a few super quick, hip swiveling, steps for a samba.

"_I thought this side you knew. I just wanna dance! I just wanna dance here with you!"_ He snaps me out like a yo-yo, and jerks me back in close, holding me in a dip with one wing. The other was floating in the air, and his eyes burned into mine with a feral joy, as the lights went out and the music came to a snappy halt. The crowd went totally insane. Cheering could be heard at the docks, nearly ten miles away, so we were told later.

While the lights were out Nico and Pedro flew into the crowd and tried their best to blend in. They told the birds around them not to say anything and try and keep quiet. It was one of our favorite things to do to get the crowd involved with the performance.

When the lights came back on, I stood, alone, on the stage. "Yea Yea! Can I get some more noise for my boys…" I trailed off and looked around, just then realizing that they were gone. "Well they were just here." I mumbled. "I suppose we'll just have to go on without them." I shrugged and got a few giggles from the crowd. _On with the act!_ I thought and turned to face the club, "Ok! I need all the ladies to the left and all the guys to the right. You know the drill!" I instructed and got a few cheers from the super excited birds.

The sea of feathers parted and I flew to the front of the ladies group. "You ready girls?" I called over my shoulder. I received nods and cheers in response. I turned back to the guys and begin to sing, just a little off key, _"Can anybody-ee,"_ I coughed a few times to clear my throat, _"Find me somebody to…"_

"_Looooove."_ A few guys took the backup and wrapped their wings around themselves. I smiled as the pianist took up the song, and one brave flycatcher leapt to the front of his group to start dancing with me.

"_Each morning I get up and die a little; can barely stand on my feet." _ I wobbled a bit and twirled around the blue bird as he reached out to steady me,_ "Take a look in the mirror and cry, Lord, what you're doing to me. I've spent all my years to believe in you," _I pointed at the flycatcher and he pretended to look hurt, and I continued,_ "But I just can't get no relief. Lord, Somebody,"_

"_Somebody."_ My backups hummed, and I heard Nico's voice within them. My heart rate picked up hearing his rich bass voice, but I had to continue.

"_Can anybody find me, somebody to love?"_ I took to the air and shooed away the flycatcher. He fell back in line with the other guys, and I stopped in front of a nervous looking blue and gold macaw. He flinched a little bit when the spotlight followed me, but I gave him a wink and he seemed to relax a little bit. _"Got no feel, I got no rhythm. I just keep losing my beat." _I sang as he tried to dance a bit and stumbled. I reached out a wing to help him up and he sang the next little bit with me, his voice still nervous,_ "I'm ok, I'm alright. Ain't gonna face no defeat!" _

The macaw got a determined look in his eye and held out a wing to me. I shook my head slightly, but too his wing and let him spin me around,_ "I just gotta get out of this prison cell; one day I'm gonna be free! Lord, somebody,"_ I swooned, then righted myself and pumped my fist into the air.

"_Somebody,"_ The macaw was dancing around me, showing a bit more of confidence; and to top it all off he joined my backup singers.

"_Can anybody find me somebody to love?"_ I shooed the macaw away and went back onto the stage.

"_She works hard…"_

"_Every day! I try and I try and I try! But everybody wants to put me down,"_ At this I fell then jumped back up winding the tips of my pointer feathers around my head like I was crazy, _"They say I'm going crazy, they say I gotta lot of water in my brain. Got no common sense, I've nobody left to believe! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!"_ After dancing around a bit, I returned to the air and started sifting through the masses to find "my love."

The boys started up a chant after my third circuit of the club, _"Find her somebody to love. Find her somebody to love. Find her somebody to love."_ I soared around looking at more birds and still shaking my head. "_Find her somebody to love. Find her somebody to love. Find her somebody to love." _ I came back around by the stage and "accidentally" bumped into Nico, who was nonchalantly flying around in lazy circles above the stage waiting for me to show up.

"_Can anybody find me…"_ The club hummed along with me as Nico and I floated down to the stage. We were gazing at each other as though in a completely different universe.

"_Somebody to…"_ He spun me around and dipped me slowly, so I could draw out the next word longer, _"Love."_ We danced slowly around the stage, wrapped tightly in each other's wings, as Pedro helped sing the last bit of backup. At the end of the song Nico and I spun out, clinging to the end of each other's wings.

"Looks like I found somebody." I said with a big grin. The crowd exploded into whistles and cheers.

"Where did Pedro go?" Nico asked me after the crowd had had their fill, and we had bowed several times.

"How am I supposed to know? You guys both disappeared when the lights went out." I informed him.


	3. Chapter 3: Indigo Devil

**Ok...For those who haven't noticed, this story is in the process of being edited. There will be some mix ups on chapter NUMBERS for a little while, but the story is still the same. THANX SO MUCH!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Indigo Devil**

_***Concert Concludes***_

"Thank you Rio for being the best hometown a bird could ever ask for!" Pedro cawed above the final roar of the music, and our friends and families.

"For everything you did for us while we were on tour, and for every time you were there for us when we needed you. Thanks for everything Rio!" Nico followed, leaping off the stage and flying around the revved up club.

"We love you guys! We're home now Rio, and we don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. Good night!" We zoomed around the club once more and soared out the door with a huge thunder of applause. Everybird followed and headed for home or wherever they planned on spending their night. Who knows with birds anyway?

Together my boys and I circled around and caught an updraft; watching our crowd scatter across the city and jungle. "I vote we go to the beach!" Nico called above the rush of wind. The sun was just kissing the tops of the waves, and night was about thirty minutes away.

"I agree! I been missin' the salt water!" Pedro replied.

"You had me a t beach!" I called, "Last one there's a rotten egg!" I turned and pumped my bright yellow wings towards the waves. Nico pulled up beside me quickly and smirked. "What? Is there something on my beak?"

"Well since mine isn't there, no, there's nothing on your beak." My sunbeam joshed, and rolled around me.

_He sure has been flirty lately._ I thought and smiled as my heart fluttered. _Not that I mind really…_

As we reached the sugar sand, we ran straight into the oncoming waves. At first it was cold enough to make us gasp for air, but we soon got used to it. It felt so good after the hot, stuffy air in Three Amigos. With the lack of oxygen from all of the singing, dancing birds, the fresh night air was incredible. "This is the life." Pedro sighed doing a backstroke through the salt water.

"You said it! It feels so good to be home." Nico agreed, and swam close to me.

"I missed the beach." I said, turning to face the vast expanse of ocean. What I didn't see was my boys share a mischievous look and creep up behind me. Before I even have a chance to scream they grabbed me and dunked me under the water. I flailed around, accidentally smacking one of them, trying to get back to sweet oxygen.

They burst into a fit of hysterical laughter. I finally figured out which way was up and broke the surface gasping for air. My feathers were strewn in all directions, and my scarf was drifting in the water. "Oh I'm gonna get you guys for this one!" They're rolling on the white sand, not able to stop the fits of laughter. I leapt into the air, grabbed my scarf, and shook off as much water as I could. Eyes narrowed I whipped around and zoomed for my boys as fast as I could. Their jovial expressions disappeared and were replaced by looks of absolute fear.

"HOT WING ON THE FLY! RUN!" Nico cried and flapped into the air.

"Nuh-uh! It's on!" Pedro shook off the surprise and puffed out his chest. I grinned and hit him head on and we tumbled onto the sand; throwing soft punches and tugging at each other's feathers. I landed a good punch on his wing and he cried, "Nico! HELP ME!" Then the round grey bird rolled over, so my back was to the sky.

All of the sudden my wings were clamped against my body and I couldn't move. I was lifted into the air and off of Pedro. I squirmed and struggled, but Nico held me tightly. "Let me at him!" I cried. "Nico, let me go!"

"Sorry Sonny; bro's before babes." Nico crooned, and they laughed as I tried even harder to get away.

"I love you too…" I mumbled, "It's a conspiracy; you two cheat!" I was then struck by an idea. I went perfectly limp, and just as Nico went to change his grip I performed a body roll and zipped forward. I felt Nico's claws reach for me but I was too far away. I was free!

"What do you have to say about that?" I jerked my wings in front of me, trying, and failing, to look cool.

"I think you need a lesson in moves." Nico popped his bottle cap off his head and rolled it behind his head over his shoulders. Just before it dropped out of reach, he snagged it and placed it back on his head.

"Oh really?" I cocked my head to one side and raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Really." And so the dance battle began. Nico and I traded moves that even _we_ hadn't seen before. Some were in the air and some were in the soft sand; some were solo, and some were with each other.

I finished a quick move and Nico moved to do a step with his back to me. I saw my chance and flung the end of my scarf at him. It caught his wing as he spun, and I wrapped it around him, tying him up tight. "How about we call it a tie?" I asked landing in front of my mummified sunbeam. He rolled his bright amber eyes, and smirked his usual smirk.

I jerked my scarf and he twirled around, like I would had he spun me. I caught him and dipped him the way he always did for me. "Interesting to be on the other side of this step." I told Nico quietly, mere inches away from his face. He smiled sweetly and placed a wing on the back of my neck, and another on the small of my back. With a quick spin he switched our places.

"Better?" He crooned, and I fell into his gorgeous eyes.

"Much." I smiled and received a quick kiss that made my stomach tie itself in knots.

"If I ever meet a pair that can out dance you guys, I'm personally checking myself into a crazy house." Pedro commented as we returned to our feet.

"Aw nonsense. Without samba we couldn't dance." I replied. Nico placed a bright yellow wing around my shivering shoulders. The crisp night air was starting to nip at our wet feathers and cover them in a layer of brine.

"I seriously doubt it." Pedro countered. Then his eyes got sleepy and he yawned loudly. Nico and I followed with yawns and stretches of our own.

"Looks like the Sand Man is comin' 'round early tonight." Nico observed through his yawn.

"Then I'm getting' home before I'm too tired to flap my wings. Night!" Pedro called over his shoulder as he soared off for his own snug hollow.

"See you tomorrow for clean-up! Sweet Dreams!" We shouted after him. I turned and looked at my Nico. His bright amber eyes were hooded, mainly by a sleepy bottle cap, and he stifled another yawn.

"Looks like we should go lock up and head for home." I told him and hovered in the air. He nodded, and we wing it back to Three Amigos. Most of the lights were off and everyone was gone.

"I'll get the stage and you unplug the sign." Nico called soaring backstage.

"Ok." I fluttered over to the plug and yanked on the cord. The lights outside the door flickered for a moment then went black. Behind me the stage lights turned off, and the club was shrouded in shadow. Suddenly something brushed my wing. "Nico?" I whispered. But instead of the canary's rich voice answering me, I was answered by a simian chuckle.

"You're coming with me, pretty bird." The scratchy voice commanded next to my ear. Before I could react, something fell on my back, pinning me to the cold ground.

"NIC…!" My cry for help was cut off by the weight slapping a cloth over my beak.

"Here now. Just calm down and keep quite." The monkey's voice crooned, "Now go to sleep." I tried not to breathe. I tried my hardest to disobey what the evil thing said, but my lungs were screaming for air. Just before the void took over my consciousness, I heard Nico cry out my name.

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><p>I jumped on the big switch that controlled the stage lights and it sank towards the ground, sending my club into darkness. I looked to the doorway, where the only light was coming in and saw two shadows sneak in. one stayed by where Sonny was by the door and the other fell into the shadows. Upon further examination, the shadow by the door appeared to be a bit more simian than I had anticipated.<p>

Then realization hit me like a cold, merciless wave. "No!" I breathed and shot off the stage after my girl let out a strangled cry for help. "I'm coming Sonny!" I got about half-way there a claw grabbed my leg and slammed me to the dance floor. Tears stung at my eyes, as I had fallen face first and my beak felt crushed. I kicked at the thing that held me and watched Sonny's head fall into the light of the doorway.

Her eyes were closed and fear clutched at my heart. _No! She can't be dead! No no no!_ My mind screamed. "Let her go!" I cried as she was dragged back into the shadows.

"Oh no, my little sun spot," The voice spat the words in my face, then I was thrown to the ground again, "You owe me." It growled.

Then it hit me. This bird's voice was the same one that had spoken to us from the shadows of the cargo hold of that plane; the one that tore me away from my home. Phillip. We had fought in high school after I helped "his girl" get away from his abusive emotional trauma. After that fight I had been expelled from that school and that was when I had met Sonny.

"What do you want Phillip?" I said in a warning tone, glaring through the darkness at his shadow. "Sonora is not part of our fight." I struggled to stand, but the macaw's claw went from my leg to my chest. His claws dug into my skin, and I could feel them drawing blood.

"Oh but she is." He pulled me off the ground by my chest feathers, some of them tearing off as he did. I sucked in a gasp of pain, though it wasn't the greatest of my suffering. "When you took Selena away from me, you brought your little, yellow dance partner into it." He threw me to the ground, harshly, but I tried to stand back up.

Phillip's talon wrapped around my neck, this time, and he continued his monologue. "I've been watching you Nico, ever since you came back, and I know everything that you hold close to you." Again with the icy claws around my heart, "And you know what Nico?"

"What you big, blue idiot?" I rasped. Fear gave way to fury as I heard the monkey laugh at my struggling.

"I'm going to take it all away. Every. Single. Thing." He shook me like a rag doll for each word. "Starting with dear Sonora."

"Over my dead body!" I screamed and clawed him across the face. I heard him shriek and he dropped me. After re-filling my lungs with wonderful air, I jumped on the wailing pile of indigo feathers. "I promised that I would do _whatever_ it takes to protect her, and _you_ will not get in my way!" I threw punch after punch, ripping out his feathers, and clawing at his wings.

Suddenly Phillip delivered a roundhouse kick to my chest, and I flew back, through a table, spilling the leaf-ware everywhere. When I finally stopped, the talon was back around my throat. "I suppose that's fair." He ruffled his feathers and smirked at me. I was grabbing at his claw, as it was getting tighter and tighter, closing off my airway. "But I can't have you following me."

With a mere flick of his wrist I was thrown, hard, against the brick wall and my head cracked against the stone. Blackness tingled on the edge of my vision as I watched the monkey run out the door with Sonny draped over his back, her head lolling from side to side with his motion. "Take a long look Nico, because this is the last you'll ever see of her."

Then the macaw slapped a cloth over my face, and I faded into the darkness. "No…Sonny…I'm…so…sorry…" I gasped then fell back on the dirt floor, my bottle cap rolling across the floor and settling in the doorway.

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><p>What none of the birds, or monkeys for that matter, saw was the flash of iridescent green followed by two medium sized shadows. All three landed on top of the club. They heard the same shriek that Nico had and heard the whole scrap between their target and the canary. Then there was a bit of silence.<p>

The two shadows were specially trained cockatoos that had dyed their, normally, cream-colored feathers black for their secretive work. They were called Inkfeather and Shade; Shade being younger, female, and still in training.

The flash of green was F.N. Officer Selena. A pretty quetzal with an incredible I.Q. and a sense for her work. Ever since high school, and watching one of her classmates lose his mind, she knew she wanted to be in the F.N. Now she was a top officer in the force, and prepared to help her old, yellow, friend.

F.N. stood for Feathers in the Night. Birds in this task force were what you might call Special Operations. They were trained to use every ounce of their strength, wit, and charm to accomplish missions; missions that were to be completed no matter what the cost.

"Inkfeather," Selena turned to the larger of her two companions, "Catch those monkeys, and let no harm come to the canary. If anything happens to her I'll pluck you both bald. Shade you go with him." The officer was tense and each and every one of her iridescent green feathers stood on end.

"Yes ma'am." They saluted, "One question though," Shade nearly whispered.

"Yes?" Selena snipped, not turning her intent gaze from the door of the club. She hardly heard the black cockatoo.

"Why is this mission so careful? I mean you've made us hide in shadows, and fly faster than normal…" Shade really didn't care, but every mission she'd been on with her mentor and the quetzal had been fairly open, no need to hide.

"Are you questioning my authority?" Selena felt the feathers on the back of her neck rise as she tore her gaze away from the club, and whirled to face the impudent bird. "Or is the work too hard for you?"

"No." Shade winced back. _I knew I should have kept quiet._ She thought.

"This is an unauthorized mission isn't it?" Inkfeather commented knowingly, breaking the tenseness of the stare down between the two females. With a lazy smile he ruffled his feathers. Selena sighed and smoothed her own feathers.

"You are correct." After a deep breath, the F.N. addressed her cohorts, "But this has more than us getting our badges stripped, riding on it. This pair of canaries is going to be the last targeted by Phillip. After he completes his dirty work here, he is going to disappear. I won't let that happen." She explained. "I've been tracking him for too long to let that happen."

"This is your thanks to Nico isn't it?" Inkfeather replied with another question. He had known Selena since they were fledglings, and was one of her oldest friends. The interworking's of the quetzal's mind were all but a simple book to him.

"Yes it is. But," She snapped before the cockatoo could reply, "This will also put an end to everything Phillip has done all over South America." She sighed, "And I owe Nico so much for his help. The least I can do is get his girl back from the clutches of a bird that will probably kill her."

"Valor is often a dangerous game, but I have to agree with you on this one." Inkfeather smiled and took off, now silenced, apprentice in tow.

Selena ruffled her feathers and peeked over the edge of the roof just in time to see Phillip zoom out the door and into the night sky. "Oh no you don't." She murmured and took off after him. Silently she caught an air current with her powerful wings, and spiraled above her target. She knew that she couldn't engage her target that night. That action would be saved for later, when she has more birds behind her, and a way to get the rest of the injured birds out of Phillip's headquarters.

That was why she was following the macaw; to find his base. Finally they reached the jungle. This was Selena's element. With her iridescent green feathers all she had to do was get below Phillip and he would never know she was there. Performing and elaborate dive she accomplished her plan and followed the indigo devil to a large clearing with a lone, thick trunked tree. About halfway up the trunk was an owl sized hole, where Phillip landed.

"Gottcha." After watching Phillip enter the tree, Selena listened to interesting chatter then headed back to her own base where Inkfeather and Shade would meet her.

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><p><strong>DUN DUN DUN! XD<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: NICO!

**Chapter 4**

**NICO!**

A sleepy Rio sun peeked out from the ocean and through the trees. As it filtered across the city and jungle, banishing the shadows, its beams found their way through the doorway to a certain red-headed bird's hollow. They reached towards his nest to wake him up, but Pedro was already gone.

Before falling asleep, Pedro had tried to stay awake to make sure that his friends made it home alright. Nico and Sonora would usually fly by, for the same purpose, just to make sure everything was alright. After about midnight, Pedro had fallen asleep thinking that the pair had been too tired to fly by or that they had slept at Three Amigos. Upon waking, Pedro had decided to make them breakfast, with the help of the Toucan family.

"Ali! Stop eating the papaya! You're going to have a very angry Aunt Sonny to deal with if there isn't any for her." Rafael called across the platform nest to his chick. The little toucan dropped the fruit and zipped over to his mother.

"Listen to your papá, little one." Eva crooned to her feather-loving chick.

"Yes mamá." He mumbled, snuggling up to her and his four brand new siblings. Each had hatched only a day ago, and didn't quite have names yet.

"They're gonna love this!" Pedro affirmed with a big smile, placing the last of an apple in a leaf wrap.

"Yea. We had better get a move on so they don't go looking for their own food." Rafael said grabbing one of the food bundles. Pedro mimicked the maneuver and soared through the trees after the toucan. When the friends came to the street that the club was on they noticed that the door was still wide open.

"Nico! Sonny! We brought breakfast!" The pair called down to the dark room. Something shiny that lay in the doorway reflected the sunlight up into their eyes.

"Ow! What the heck?" Rafael moaned as the light hit him directly in his eyes.

"It's Nico's bottle cap!" Pedro dove to the doorway, grabbed the little metal cap, and dusted it off. The toucan flapped over to the stage and turned on the lights. Looking around, expecting to find the two canaries cuddled up in a corner, he smiled. But what he spied was a pile of bloody yellow feathers by the far wall. Fear made him numb for a moment.

"Pedro! I think it's Nico!" Both glided over to the barely breathing canary. Several small wounds gave Nico's, normally bright yellow, feathers an orange tint. There was also a good sized bump on the back of his head.

"Nico. Nico, bro, what happened?" The round grey bird shook the pile of feathers. _Don't let him be dead! Please don't be dead bro! _ Tears stung at his eyes, then disappeared when Nico moaned quietly. _Thank you!_

"Sonny?" He rasped groggily.

"No it's Ralphy and Pedro. Are you ok?" Rafael placed a wing around him to help him stand. Again the canary moaned and almost fell, clutching his head. Tears of utter hopelessness brimmed in Nico's amber eyes.

"He took Sonny," The trio made it to a booth and the canary's voice was clogged, from the lump in his throat, "She was right there," He gestured to the door, "And he just took her." Emotion overwhelmed him and he collapsed into sobs.

"Who took Sonora?" Ralphy asked. He and Pedro were shocked, and the way their feathers stuck out in all directions showed it.

"Phillip." Nico gasped, "He vowed he'd get revenge for what happened with Selena. Now he probably killed my poor Sonny!" The tears continued to flow down his feathered face.

"Now, now. Don't talk like that. Sonora's a strong bird. I know she's still alive." Pedro told him, and patted the canary's heaving shoulders.

"But I let her down," Nico didn't look up from the table, "I promised that I would do whatever it takes to protect her, and now she's gone. I failed." Again he collapsed into his wings. "I don't know where Phillip was, is, or will be. All I know is that I'll never see Sonora again."

"That's not the Nico I know talking." Rafael commented from the other side of the table. He had unwrapped one of the leaf wraps and was munching on a strawberry.

"Dude! Those are for Nico!" Pedro snatched the wrap away.

"I'm gonna need my strength for the search." The toucan mumbled, and tossed the last of the berry in his beak.

"I'm not hungry." Nico mumbled when offered a piece of orange, his favorite fruit.

"I think that bump on yo head is messin' with you." Pedro's eyes got wide; Nico _never_ refused an orange, EVER. Gently the red-capped cardinal patted him on the back and offered the orange again. Nico gasped as new reservoirs of pain burst from the touch, and Pedro jumped back. "What did I do?" He squeaked.

"I'm just sore." The canary muttered, "You can sit back down."

"My bad."

"No worries." Nico couldn't think straight. All he knew was that Sonny was gone, and he didn't even know if she was alive or not. _Now I know how Sonny felt after we were captured._ He thought. A wave of depression threatened to take him over, but a thought struck him, just in the nick of time, _What would Sonny do?_ He thought about her smiling face, and the feeling of her head on his chest last night.

_She wouldn't give up; that's for dang sure._ A determined smile came to his face, and his friends turned to him. "You guys are right." Nico placed a wing on the table, "I flew Sonny five miles, through the midnight jungle, the night she nearly died." Nico stood carefully, testing his legs. Pedro and Rafael stood to either side of him in case he fell.

"Yea!" They cheered, getting the canary revved up.

"I waited three years to even _see_ her again after that."

"Yea!"

"And we spent a year recovering together after Luís' attack."

"Yea!"

"So, who says I can't find her now?" Nico nearly screamed, grinning uncontrollably now.

"Not us!" Rafael cheered and hopped up and down, "We're with you Nico!" All three put their wings in the middle of their huddle, like Sonny would have them do. "Let's do this!"

"But first things first, I need to get to Albert." Nico stepped back, still grinning, but wincing at the stiffness of his muscles, "Just to make sure there are nothing but bumps and bruises."

"Albert here we come!" The two other birds cheered, earning a weird look from the canary. "What?" Pedro shrugged, "I was livin' in the moment."

"You're a dork." Nico teased and laughed at his brother's insulted expression.

"I know you just got the tar beat outta ya, but that was mean!" The cardinal pouted and flew out the door.

"Oh Pedro." Canary and toucan shared an eye roll and followed their friend.

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><p><strong>Hope you all enjoy the extra detail!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5: Welcome to Prison

**New chapter 5 to all y'all! lol Hope you're liking it so far!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Welcome to Prison**

"_I love you Sonny. More than anything in the world." Nico whispered in my ear._

"_I love _you_ my sunbeam." I crooned and stared into his intense amber eyes. He leaned forward and planted his beak on mine in the sweetest kiss, and everything was perfect. _

_But suddenly, Nico was ripped away from me and foreign arms wrapped around my waist. "LET ME GO!" I screamed and punched at the thing that held me. All I was answered with was a simian chuckled and I barely saw Nico's bottle cap disappear. "NO! NICO!" I cried and reached out a wing to him…_

"Are you sure she's alright?" A whispery voice asked on the outer most sense of my brain.

"Nico… Nico… Nico…" I'm mumbling. A wing touched me, and I jolted awake. "Who's there?" I gasped, immediately hovering in the air, "If you think I'm an easy target, you've got another thing coming!" My eyes darted around the dark room. Some shadows moved off to my left, and I realized I was hovering in the only beam of light. "Come into the sun, or I'll come in after you!" I warned.

"Easy there chicky. We aren't gonna hurt you." The whispy voice told me. Looking around I watched several birds step into the light. The one that just spoke was a tall, spindle-legged, cornflower-blue feathered heron.

"Where am I?" I asked her, as she seemed friendly.

"I knew she was going to say that! Didn't I tell you?" A little green finch nudged a pretty rose-ringed parakeet excitedly. The parakeet ruffled her feathers and stumbled from the push.

"Yes Consuela, you told us that about Nine. Hundred. Times." She replied, rolling her eyes. I let a nervous smile flicker across my face.

"Well first things first; what's your name sugar? Who's you lover and wha'd he do to Phillip?" The crane asked tucking her long legs, settling on the floor, and letting me land on her long orange beak.

"Well, I don't know if I should tell you… I don't know _your_ names after all." I was somewhere between terrified and nervous. These birds seemed nice, but suspicions were high, and my heart was still pounding against my rib cage. The crane shrugged and I had to re-settle on her beak.

"My name is Tia. This is Consuela," She nodded to the finch, "Angelica," The parakeet fluffed her feathers, "Nora, Fiona, and Lattie." A tiny bumblebee hummingbird zipped over to Tia's head and perched there, panting, and a blue and gold macaw fluttered from the shadows. She was followed by a shy cockatiel. "And that one over there in the corner is Jewel. She doesn't say much." I watched a flash of bright blue feathers circle around the room and return to her corner.

"I don't do well in cages." She mumbled.

"None of us do. We're birds for crying out loud." Nora replied quickly.

"Well alright then," I shrugged. _I need allies and this is what I've got. _I thought. "My name is Sonora, Sonny for short." I waved and smiled.

"What a pretty name. You look like the sun too." Lattie commented with a blush.

"Thank you," I nodded and blushed a bit myself, "But I'm not near as bright as a friend of mine. He has to be a piece of the sun that fell to earth, as he'd say, 'Just for me.'" I giggled thinking of my sunbeam.

"Ooo! What's his name?" Fiona asked, immediately excited by the thought of girl-gab.

"Nico Leonardo Canary." I said proudly, my chest puffed out. Then I slumped when I realized how worried he probably was, wherever he was…

"Nico? You mean that little canary who started wearing that bottle cap in high school?" Angelica asked.

"That's my Nico." I snapped my feathers and tore my mind away from fretting thoughts, "I gave him the bottle cap. We just got back from a trip all across South America."

"And now you're stuck in here with us." I barely heard Jewel mumble. _Hmm. Pessimist. We'll have to work on that._ Tia on the other wing, totally ignored the macaw and spoke.

"Well, I know why you're here now. I was good friends with Selena."

"Why? And who is this Selena?" I asked, standing, and jealousy flaring in my heart causing my feathers to rise.

"Easy there tiger." Jewel snapped from her new spot on the outside of our circle.

"As you probably know, Nico went to that weird academy for a while. Phillip was the top bird there, and he always had a girl on his wing. His particular favorite was a quetzal named Selena." Tia proceeded to tell me that Nico had been good friends with this bird, and that he had helped her get rid of the crazy macaw.

_That's my babe! Even before he met me he was stealing hearts!_ I thought as my chest swelled with pride for Nico.

"So because of everything that Nico did, Phillip vowed revenge. The same type of thing happened to all of us." Every other bird nodded. "Rupert gave that little purple brat a taste of his medicine a while ago and that's why I'm here." Tia explained.

"Rupert? The spoonbill that lives on the docks?" I asked, "I heard he got ruffed up." Again with Rafael and his extensive knowledge of everything under the sun, "The strange thing is that I didn't hear a bird. I was attacked by a monkey." Looking around I noticed a bunch of tunnels leading out of the roof; that was also when I realized I was in a tree. _I'll investigate those later. _

"We all were. Monkeys normally live for themselves, but Phillip must have done something to them, 'cause they work for him." Nora spoke up.

"We could take Phillip if it wasn't for his furry goons." Angelica explained, earning nods and grunts of approval from the girls.

"I'd like to see this loser, and give him a piece of my mind. This is ridiculous!" I said with a smile, but everyone's eyes got wide. "What? Does he have 'ears within the tree' or something?" I said talking in a deep voice and making air quotes with my pointer feathers. Suddenly I was snatched off Tia's beak and slammed to the floor. I hit my head hard and blackness tingled on the edge of my vision as short talons dug into my skin. _Alright! _I called to the heavens, _I'll cut the cockiness._

"Now now. No need to plan a rebellion." An indigo head, with a patch of yellow around the eyes and just under the chin of a sharp black beak, leaned over me.

"Phillip I presume?" I waved a wing sarcastically, and he tightened his grip on me. _Ok ok! After this! _

"Correct." He hissed.

"Hm, your reputation for a shadowy coward precedes you." I hummed.

"I'm glad your little captive friends told you about me." He leaned closer to my face and my fury couldn't be held back anymore. "I am quite famous around here." He ruffled his feathers.

"Famous for being a feather-brain!" I heard Jewel scream from across the room. Then I heard flapping that slowly lessened, then stopped. _Hope they didn't kill you. _I thought, and returned to my situation at wing.

"You've no right to keep us here." I shouted at him and flapped my wings. The talons only dug deeper and lifted me off the ground. I noticed three parallel scratches on his face. "I see Nico gave you a little something." I crooned, trying to regain my patience.

"You're just like weak little Nico," He knows that made me angry and I flap my wings harder to get away, "Too bad he'll never get to know how hard you tried to get back to him." The bird's lunatic laughter filled the room.

"What do you mean?" I asked, wings pausing in mid stroke and fear clawing at my heart.

"Oh right; you were asleep." Phillip snickered as though it was funny, "You see poor Nico had an accident. But don't worry. He's in a better place now." He laughed again, and I was thrown roughly to the floor.

"You lie! I would know if Nico was dead; I could feel it!" I jumped up and clawed at his already wounded face. He jumped back, but I caught him deep across his blue chest. He shrieked and jumped back as blood started to seep through the feathers. Then a weight fell on me like the night before, and simian laughter echoed around the room as I struggled. I looked around, wondering if help was coming, and realized that the other girls were subdued by monkeys. Jewel was unconscious and being dragged into their corner by Tia.

"You little heathen! I see why you loved Nico so much; so similar in ways of mind." Phillip hissed at me, now pinned under the deadweight of the monkey, "No matter. You'll stay here until you die." He crowed triumphantly.

"Or until I take you out!" I shouted, and squeezed out from under the monkey. Again I jumped right at the macaw, claws first. Just before I reached him, though, I was dragged back to the, now familiar, floor. Phillip soared upwards and away from my fury. "You act like a coward I once knew; Luís. He was a nasty piece of work like yourself." I spat out the words, hoping the venom in them would just drop him dead.

"Oh yes." The indigo macaw landed a good distance in front of me with a wicked grin on his face. "I've been planning this since Nico met you. I was the reason Luís even got to South America."

"What?" I gasped. Fury shattered into utter shock. _No…Luís is gone…He's not here…_ My heart started pounding in a panic of fear, and I felt the color drain from my face. Phillip smiled wickedly at my emotion.

"The first few attacks, Nico and Pedro going missing, and the plan of your murder; those were my plans." He circled me, "When those two insignificant piles of feathers escaped, and you lived, I disowned him; kicked him to the curb, if you will." He shrugged,

"What I will is…" The monkey slapped his paws over my mouth to shut me up, at the macaws signal, but I bit him hard and he jumped back. I stood and Phillip stepped back, still talking, though in a shakier voice, "He had no clue how to live in this forest and he blamed you. The second attack was strictly him."

"Sure, and I'm a fish." I growled, and jumped forward. Phillip screamed like a child and flapped his wings. Easily I followed him into the air, but I didn't notice the monkeys climbing the walls of the enclosure. I was just about to grab the macaw's tail feathers and drag him to the ground for a change, the simian's leapt off the walls and we crashed to the ground.

"Wow, this one's a feisty one." I heard the one pinning my right wing to the ground whisper.

"I bet we can use that…" The other muttered to himself.

"It's no use sun spot," Phillip was still hovering, but knew he had won, for now anyway, "My marmosets will do whatever I tell them to, and you're lucky I haven't told them to finish you off yet."

"What kind of bird are you?" I gasped as he landed, clamping his talons around my throat.

"The kind that revels in other birds' pain;" He snarled, "Especially the pain of fools that dared to ever counter me." With the last of my strength I spit in his eye. With another wail he jumped back, flapping at his face.

"That'll teach you to hold Nico's girl in such a way!" I shouted. Phillip rubbed his eyes one last time before narrowing them.

"We'll see if you're still so chipper after ten days without food. Good riddance." He soared upwards and flew through the ray of sunlight. After the macaw was gone his simian goons followed.

I was let up, quickly, by my holders. I stood and looked to the girls. They were making their way to me, after the monkeys left; although Tia pecked at one's tail and it shrieked.

"Serves him right. He bit my leg." Tia showed us two puncture wounds near her knee.

"Here," I unwrapped my scarf and tore off a bit of it to wrap around the wound. "It's a little salty but that should help keep out infection." I told her tying it tightly to stop the blood.

"How'd it get salty?" Consuela chirped landing near me.

"After our welcome home concert last night, Nico, Pedro, and I flew to the beach for a cool down. They nearly drowned me, but I got 'em back for that." I smiled and laughed to myself thinking about wrestling Pedro, and the dance battle. I fiddled with my shell, that still hung loyally around my neck, and read the inscription. Once, twice, three times; then the tears came.

No matter how hard I tried I couldn't keep them back. Hopelessness hit me like a dark cloud, and I collapsed to the floor, face in my wings, sobbing forcibly. "Oh Nico! We were so close to starting our new life. Now I'm here…" I blubbered.

"There there." Fiona wrapped a bright blue wing around my shoulders, while Nora and Consuela snuggled up to me. Lattie came to my other side and mimicked Fiona. Tia wrapped us all in her huge corn-flower blue wings, and I instantly felt better.

"Thanks guys." I told them sniffling, and drying my eyes, "I refuse to believe that Nico is dead. I won't believe it 'till I see it." I told them determinedly. _No more of that, _I thought, _they need hope and a plan, and you need to get your act together._ Then I remembered the blue macaw. "What happened to Jewel?"

We stepped back and I saw the poor bird in the corner, still out cold. "Chloroform. Whenever she says anything when Phillip's in here, they knock her out." Fiona followed me over to her body.

"She's a lot like you," Lattie murmured, "She wants out, and she'll do whatever it takes to get there." Carefully I settled next to her blue head and placed it on my lap.

"Poor thing." I felt her forehead and there was a slight fever. "Here," I tore of another part of my scarf and handed it to Angelica, "Get this wet and bring it back to me." Both the Parakeet and crane walk to the other side of the hollow. Soon Angelica is back and I ring out the scrap of fabric over Jewels face. She stirs, but doesn't wake up.

"Jewel. Jewel, wake up." I crooned and dipped the cloth back in the water bowl Tia dragged over. Again I rang it out over her face. Then I stroked her dirty blue feathers with the wet cloth and her eyes cracked open.

"What's going on?" She tried to snap, but her voice cracked. She looked around, "They knocked me out again, huh?" The girls nodded.

"That was impressive." I told her and helped her stand.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes and swayed back to her corner.


	6. Chapter 6: A Visit to Dr Albert

**NEW CHAPTER 6! SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**A Visit to Dr. Albert**

I found that I could fly in little spurts through the trees. Though my muscles were incredibly sore, it felt good to stretch them. The flight also helped ease my nerves, ever so slightly. The only way I was going to find answers about where Sonny was, would be to get out of the hollow and get myself healed.

Soon we came to the spider's clearing and his enormous web. "Ah Nico. How did I know you would be by today?" Albert teased as we landed on the special platform he had made for us birds.

"I'm not really sure." I cocked my head to the side and smiled.

"Haven't you heard of the attacks that have been happening while you were gone?" The big brown spider asked circling me and checking the wounds. He taped the bump on my head and I yelped. "Sorry." He replied and I waved a wing as the throbbing let up.

"No. What's going on?" Pedro asked intent on the topic. Albert smiled the best he could and scuttled over to his stores. Picking up a bowl, a rounded, thick stick, and some leaves he turned back to us.

"First off, who attacked you, and where is Sonora?" Tears stung at my eyes and threatened to flow as a lump larger than life formed in my throat.

"An old rival of mine, Phillip, attacked me last night, when Sonny and I were closing up the club." I blinked a few times and took a deep breath before continuing, "He took Sonny. In front of my own eyes." I choked, and then murmured, "I don't even know if she's alive."

Raphael tisked his tongue, and placed a wing on my shoulder, "Of course she is."

"Yeah bro!" Pedro stepped over as well, "All we have to do is turn into like, Shereluck Homes, and we'll be good." Raphael, Albert and I gave him confused, blank stares.

"Dude, its Sherlock Holmes, not sheer-luck." We all burst out laughing, except for Pedro who just looked at the ground sheepishly.

"Ah whatever." He grumbled.

"You birds sure do make life interesting." Albert chuckled, then returned to the previous topic, "I had Rupert in a few weeks ago. He said the same thing about Tia."

I sucked in my breath, _how long has he been planning this? _

"Lots of birds have been attacked, and kidnapped. You know Fiona? Fernando's cousin? She disappeared soon after you left." Albert was pounding the leaves into a slave. "The only thing that you haven't told me is that you were only practice for a smaller, yellower, prospect."

"Phillip's been doing this for three years and it was all because of me?" I said quietly, fury re-igniting in my heart. _Oh he had better hope he doesn't meet me in a dark alley. _I could feel my wings shaking now, from the anger.

"As far as I can tell. Now hold still." Albert demanded and started to slather his remedy all over my, already filthy, feathers.

_Sonny would have a cow and a half if she saw me now. _I thought and breathed a laugh. When Albert was done I felt much better, albeit much dirtier. The stinging pain had cooled, and my muscles felt much looser, and not as heated. I now looked like a mixture of a lemon, an orange, and a lime.

"Thanks." I tipped my cap to the arachnid, "Now when can I wash this off," I motioned to my multi-colored body, "And when can I go looking for Sonny?"

"You can wash of the salve an hour after sunset, and you can go looking for Sonny after I find you some clues." He dunked the bowl and wedge into a leaf full of rain water and washed them off.

"How would you…?" Pedro asked.

"Several of the attacked birds will be coming in for checkups tomorrow." Albert cut him off, "Maybe you could fly by, explain your predicament, and get some leads. Perhaps some other birds inching for a reckoning, as well." Albert suggested blinking his eight eyes.

"We could make an army!" The round grey bird jumped forward and cheered.

"Perfect! I'll see you at sunrise!" I told the apothecary and performed a body roll in mid-air.

"I'll be waiting." Albert waved and we took off for Ralphy's nest.

"Finally, something goes right." I breathed. "You know other than my girl being stolen by my enemy, and me getting the tar beat out of me." I chuckled.

"Yea! Now we can get an army together and kick some tail feathers!" Pedro performed some in-flight ninja moves, making the toucan and I laugh. Then I narrowed my eyes, returning to my thoughts.

"I'm gonna pluck that stupid macaw bald." I snarled, "I'm not letting him do this to Sonny. She has no idea about any of this, because I didn't want to bother her about it." I explained, suddenly feeling guilty.

"This is something I'm sure she would have liked to know about." Ralphy commented gliding closer to me.

"I know that now." I shrugged, "I'm not not telling her anything ever again." I shook my head.

"There's nothing you can do about the past now. Just learn for the future." Raphael comforted spiraling down to his nest. The young toucans tackled their father and Pedro, but kept a good distance from me.

"Uncle Pedro, what is Uncle Nico covered in?" Ezzy asked innocently.

"Uncle Nico was attacked last night by a very mean bird, and he took Auntie Sonora far away." The kids gasped and huddled around their parents as Pedro continued, "But tomorrow we're going to go look for her and lots of other birds that have also gone missing. We went to Dr. Albert and now Nico is covered in stuff that will make him feel better." The cardinal explained. The fledglings gasped and duck behind their parents this time.

"It wasn't Luís again, was it?" Eva asked in a soft voice.

"No Luís is long gone. It was a Hyacinth Macaw named Phillip." I explained.

"Oh." Eva chirped, "Another of your academy friends?"

"Of course." I sighed and hung my head.

"Don't worry, Nico. Sonny's fine."

"We're going back to Albert's tomorrow to see if we can get some more clues on where this macaw is keeping his captives." Rafael explained. "I won't be going on the adventure though. I'll come right home." He added quickly seeing the worried look in his mate's eyes.

"Thank you." Eva ruffled her feathers and Rafael wrapped a wing around her. I coughed, feeling a pang of emotion at the sight.

"I'm heading for my hollow. I need some time to think. See you all tomorrow." I hovered for a second and waved.

"Bye Uncle Nico! Bring Auntie Sonora home safe!" The Toucan kids chorused.

"I will!" I called over my shoulder and kept my voice level.

"I'll be a just a few trees down if you need me." Pedro affirmed, then winged it to his own hollow.

"Thanks bro." I smiled warmly at my brother's retreating form. Then I realized I was flying past my home, and banked in a circled to the door. When I reached it I couldn't help but smile while reading the sign: **Canary Corner**. Sonora had wanted to put something clever on our front door, so we had made a sign out of things we had found.

I smiled again and opened the door. When I stepped inside I was very careful not to brush against anything, considering that my feathers were still wet from the salve. Everything was still the way it would normally be; it seemed that Sonny would just poke her amazing, sparkling, green eyes around the corner from our room.

Looking around at the small kitchen joined with the sitting room tears stung at my eyes. "I'm so sorry Sonny." I told the empty room. "I _will_ find you and you _will_ be home soon." I walked out onto the back branch and settled into a ray of sunshine, just like Sonny and I always did in the afternoons. I tried not to focus on my emotion now, but instead pictured my girl's beautiful face yesterday morning and drifted off into an untroubled slumber.


	7. Chapter 7: Report

**NEW CHAPTER 7! Hope you like!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**Report**

"I found Phillip's base, Commissioner." Selena stood erect in front of her boss, a round Cock-of-the-Rock who went by the name of Tipa.

"And how did you do that? I don't recall you asking for me to authorize a scouting attempt." He hissed back at his former apprentice.

"No sir," She didn't wince, just stood tall and confident as she continued, "But I had some intel on what Phillip was planning the other night. I knew this would be a golden opportunity for me to catch him unaware. No one was hurt, but I've found our answer."

"But you went without authorization." Tipa said stonily.

"Yes I did." A twinge of worry clawed at her now. This was a high offense, worthy of losing a badge, even deportation. _I can't go back to Costa Rica… Please let him understand…_ She thought.

"I told you to let this case go, because I knew it was more personal to you," Tipa sighed, "You can't go rogue on us Selena. You're one of the best we've got." He mumbled.

"Just let me finish it. You know I'll finish this mission, permission or not." Selena countered. She knew she wasn't going to lose her badge now, so she pressed her point, and she pressed it hard.

"You're so much like your father." The bright orange bird smiled tiredly. Selena's father had been on the force and had been killed on a similar mission that had to do with Selena's grandfather. The young quetzal had adored him and learned everything she knew from her daddy. Her mother, on the other hand, had left for Costa Rica when she was barely a fledgling. Luckily the quetzal was used to fending for herself, and didn't hold much emotion for the birds she was sent to hunt down.

"Fine," After a moment's thought Tipa spoke again, "Do what you need to do." Sel smiled in relief, "And if you end up in a tight spot, you know who to call."

"Thank you Tipa. I won't let you down!" The mentor and apprentice shared a hug. Then Selena saluted and took off out the door to her own rendezvous. Inkfeather and Shade were there, and they had a dark grey furred monkey tied up in a corner of her hollow. She landed with a flurry of emerald green feathers and all heads turned to her.

"There you are." Shade grumbled, clearly annoyed but the quetzal's tardiness.

Ignoring the comment Sel spoke to Inkfeather, "What did you find?"

"This guy has a strange story to tell you." The large black cockatoo gestured to the marmoset.

"I don't believe a word of it." Shade spat angrily.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone. I just want my son free." The monkey said confidently. Shade glared daggers at him, and Selena stepped between them.

"Now hold on." She made a calming motion with her wings, "I'm not going to hurt you, just tell me what you were doing at Three Amigos Friday night." _Stay calm, he seems reasonable._ The green agent thought.

"I was to capture the female canary and take her back to the tree. I didn't want to but my son's life depended on it." He replied calmly.

"Lair!" Shade hissed. Selena waved a wing for her to be silent, and could see Inkfeather give his student a harsh look.

"You're son's life is in danger?" Sel asked calmly, "How did this happen?"

"Four years ago, when Luís the Spotted Owl was captured, my troop was attacked. My son was stolen from me and held hostage by the blue devil Phillip. In exchange for his life we have to carry out any job that we are instructed to do. On slip up and…" The monkey trailed off as his voice cracked and tears filled his eyes. Then he took a deep breath, "We were told to capture the canary on Friday night, and make sure that the one with the bottle cap didn't hurt Phillip too badly."

"So you are held hostage, in a way?" Selena pressed, her eyes flashing with a touch of clever insanity.

"Yes. If Phillip knew I was stupid enough to get myself caught, my son would be nothing more than jungle-kill." The marmoset puffed out his chest as Selena stood, and circled him. Then she drew back her gleaming talons, and cut the monkey's bonds.

"WHAT ARE YOU…" Shade exploded and was dragged outside by Inkfeather before she could do any damage.

"Then get back to the tree," Selena said kindly, "With the knowledge that the F.N. are on your side and are working our feathers off to free your troop and the other birds trapped in that tree." She smiled.

"Thank you." The monkey nodded then bounded towards the door.

"Wait!" Selena remembered something, "How many birds are stuck there?"

"Seven," He paused and turned back around, "Plus the poor canary that would be eight. All are no bigger than a macaw except the crane. If there is any more information you need give us a holler and I will tell you everything." The monkey promised with one paw over his heart and the other in the air. Then there was a rush of feathers and shade and Inkfeather returned.

Selena gave her old friend a look and he nodded, "She's cooled off now."

"Good." Selena gave the young female cockatoo a harsh look and she tucked her head.

"My I go now?" The marmoset asked looking to the door.

"One last question." Shade stepped forward. _Oh boy…_ the quetzal thought.

"Yes?"

"Why are you trusting us so much?" _Hmm, maybe she does learn. _Sel smiled remembering how hot-headed she used to be…and still was.

"The F.N. have never gone back on a promise and always fight for what they know is right. I trust you because you trust me." With that he swung out the door and through the jungle to his prison.

"Well done Sel." Inkfeather wrapped a wing around her shoulders in a friendly sort of way.

"Thank you. Let's just hope I'm not a fool." She sighed and turned to her nest. "You'd best get back to your own nests now though, we're going to need our strength.

"Alright," Inkfeather nodded, "Lead the way Shade." He nodded to his apprentice and they took off into the night.


	8. Chapter 8: Nora's Mission

**Chapter 8**

**Nora's Mission**

"As far as I know we're at least in a tree." Angelica told us thumping her small foot against the circular wall of our prison. It resounded in a wooden sound, confirming her statement.

Only a day and a half had gone by since I woke up, therefore, I figured, I had been missing for two and a half days. _Poor Nico…_ was all I could think.

But I was not about to give up. We had decided to at least try to escape before we were too weak; already were the effects of hunger showing. Poor Nora was the most affected, though. She could hardly move to conserve her strength.

"Even a bat could tell that." Jewel glowered returning me back to the situation at wing. The pretty blue macaw had opened up at the thought of escape; I knew that was all she really wanted, was her freedom back. Most of her comments were pessimistic, but they were comments nonetheless.

"Maybe we could drill through like woodpeckers do, and make an escape hole." I suggested.

"Yea. It's so dark in here Phillip won't notice." Lattie agreed and nodded.

"What do you think I've been doing since I was thrown in here; sitting around like a ninny?" Jewel walked over to her corner and showed us her incredible progress. Even in the darkness I could tell that she was only scratches away from the outside world. "I was planning on making a hole small enough for Nora to get through and she could go and rally help. I have the size about right but I haven't finished yet, obviously." The blue macaw fluffed up with pride of her work.

"Well done Jewel!" I hugged her and she went stiff as a board. The rest of the girls gasped and stepped back. Then I came out of my happy zone and realized what I did. "Umm…this is awkward now huh?" I let her go and hopped back. She stood there for a moment longer, then ruffled her feathers and stepped back as well.

"You're the greatest!" Nora walked slowly over and stepped into the hole. "I can almost smell the fresh air! Let me get through!" The little hummingbird begged.

"No. I'll do it. You need your strength for flying." I stated, and walked into the hole. For the next day and a half we clawed, scratched, and dug at the bark. Hunger began to gnaw at us, but we pressed on. Nora never moved, and Tia was too big to help, but we made do. On the third day in the early morning I finally saw a speck of light.

I was clawing as normal, not expecting anything special, when my terribly chipped, broken talon poked through the bark. A little speck of light appeared on my chest and I stared at it for a moment, not really understanding what it was. Then it hit me; _Light! The Sun! We're through! _ With renewed, and vigorous, energy I tore through the bark, making a hole big enough for the bumblebee hummer to get through. I looked out, barely, and saw rain splattering on the leaves and ferns. It smelled so fresh, and made my eyes roll back in my head in ecstasy, and I had to resist the urge to free myself. I turned and began to climb back up the tunnel.

"Sonny? Did you make it?" Jewel called. She was look out in case any of the monkeys or the coward that was Phillip showed up.

"Yes! Nora get ready!" I crawled back to the dimly lit room and Nora was sitting right by the entrance.

"Good luck." Tia told her.

"Hurry back." The others chorused, except Jewel, of course.

"You're very brave." I informed her with a hug. "The first bird you meet, ask them for directions to Canary Corner. That will take you to my Nico, and he'll know what to do from there. Don't forget the way back." Then I thought of something, "Give this to Nico," I took off my necklace, read it one more time and handed it over to Nora, "He'll want proof that I'm alive. Please…please tell him that I love him. Now go!" I shooed her through the hole and she was gone, the precious necklace in her tiny talons.

* * *

><p>Shell necklace clutched tightly in her minute claws, Nora zipped out of the hole and immidiatly to the forest floor. She drank her fill of flower nectar, so as to have energy for her flight, and rested a moment. <em>I'm free!<em> She thought. With energy renewed she began her search. The first bird she saw was a proud Blue Bird of Paradise preening himself. "Excuse me!" Nora called humming over, iridescent purple on her throat flashing in the wonderful sunlight, "Can you please point me in the direction of Canary Corner? I have to get there." She explained.

"Of course my dear," The brightly colored bird said with a flourish of his lustrous blue and black feathers. "You'll want to head due east and just before you leave the jungle look for a door with your destination on it."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Nora said, with over enthusiasm, and soared up into the leaves. After talking to several other birds and pinpointing her destination, the little hummingbird arrived at the door with the sign on it. Several sticks were tied together with pieces of twine, and two bottle caps overlapped each other in the top right corner. _Aww! That's cute!_ She thought then spied the note under the sign:

_I am out finding answers to where Sonora is. If you must speak to me I'm most likely at Albert's._

_~Nico Canary_

"Great… Sonora didn't mention any Albert." Nora muttered to herself, and hovered for a moment longer, thinking.

"Who are you and what are you doing with Sonora's necklace?" A pretty scarlet macaw and dazzling blue flycatcher landed on the branch behind her.

"I…I…I," Nora stuttered, then got a hold of herself and the dire mission she was on, "I was a prisoner with Sonora. She was able to let me escape and get help. She gave me this and told me to find Nico. My name is Nora." She explained quickly. The Macaw and Flycatcher looked at her with blank stares for a moment, sorting through what she said.

"So Sonny's alive?" The pair asked, not really believing it yet.

"Yes!" Nora cried impatiently, "I have to find Nico! Where is this Albert?" She jabbed a claw at the note.

"She's alive!" Nora was suddenly wrapped in a flurry of colorful feathers and directed to fly between the crazy birds. "You have no idea how glad we are that you told us that! Nico will be so excited!" The flycatcher cawed dancing around in the air.

"Oh I can't wait to see his face Patty!" The macaw preformed a body roll. "He's been so worried, and hasn't found any clues…"

"I know Josie! Come on!" Both flapped their wings faster and lead Nora to a clump of bushes. When they burst through, several birds were milling about, and several had slave on their feathers or bandages. One Nora recognized from Tia's description of Rupert.

"Nico! Nico! Nico! Sonny's alive!" Patty and Josie landed on a platform and allowed Nora between them. A fetching canary with a bottle cap cock-eyed on his head, Nico Nora guessed, stepped forward. His handsome face was tight; a mixture of fear, love, and commitment. Yet when he saw the shell his face illuminated.

But Nora only saw him for a moment. An attractive, round grey bird with bright red feathers on his head also turned around as they landed. Their eyes met and the hummer giggled when he almost fell over. _And who is this good-looking bird? Sonny didn't mention him…_ she thought. Then Nico snapped her out of her daydream.

"Where did you get that?" The canary gasped snatching it from the hummer's outstretched wing, and clinging to it as though his life depended on it. He ran a feather lovingly along the surface and slipped it around his own neck.

"Sonora gave it to me," Nora explained, and Nico beamed with hope as she continued, "I was trapped with her, and she was able to let me escape to get help. She gave me this and told me to find you and tell you that she loves you." Nora's little chest was heaving giving her the air she needed for her fast words. She flitted her gaze back to the red capped cardinal, and smiled shyly, as he was staring at her.

"I knew she was alive!" He came out of his stupor, and cheered then flew around in a loop making Nora's heart flutter faster. When he realized that she was watching him he puffed out his chest, and waved his tail feathers around. Then he cawed strangely, and Nora blushed, and laughed through her wing. _Wow he's cute!_ She thought, then remembered her mission…again.

Nico was looking at her expectantly as she took another breath, after the cardinal landed, "I'm not sure for how much longer though." She said quietly.

"What do you mean?" The group asked in unison, Nico with a look of utter horror and hatred on his face.

"After Sonora first woke up Phillip tried to play his terror tactic." Already, at the mere mention of the macaw's name, Nico was fluffed to three times his size and the cardinal was a little ruffled as well; which really made him look quite macho, in the hummer's eyes, "Sonora didn't buy it and fought him back." _Yes Nico we were proud of her too, _she thought as he swelled up in pride, "After landing one good scratch across his chest she was pinned. He tried to tell her that you were dead, Nico, but she wouldn't listen. Because of her insolence, Phillip hasn't given us anything to eat for the past three days. We've had dirty water, but that's all."

"Take me to that low-down-dirty-rotten-good-for-nothing macaw right now! I want to pluck every feather off his dumb head!" Nico was now furious beyond compare. His bright eyes were narrowed down to slits, and his bottle cap was pushed down to his eyebrows. His feathers were shaking with rage, and he was now starting to look a bit orange instead of sunshine yellow.

"You can't go alone." Patty murmured, and placed a wing on his quivering shoulder.

"I'll go!" The cardinal was also ruffled, and Nora couldn't seem to take her eyes off him as she explained further.

"Two isn't near enough. Phillip has a whole troop of monkeys working for him." Nico's eyes widened and he turned away. Seeing his despair, she continued, "I'll take you to the tree. But you have to promise, for Sonny's sake, that you won't attack Phillip."

"I promise." Nico whirled back around, "Just get me there!"

"Alright. Stay on my tail." Nora took off the platform and waited for the boys to join her in the air.

"Not a problem there." The cardinal teased and flew up to her left.

"I don't even know your name and you're flirting with me?" She giggled and started forward.

"And do you have a problem with that, my little Hot Wing?" He shrugged his eyebrows at her, and grinned.

"Nope." She replied, and returned her focus to the trees, "But I would like to know your name." They banked around a tree, and she looked back to him.

"Pedro Gustavo BécquerCardinal." He said quickly, "But for the ladies, just Pedro works fine."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Pedro," She giggled, "I'm Nora Antoinette Hummer." Then she smiled brightly, "But for the cute guys, Nora works just fine."

"And am I a cute guy, Miss Hummer?"

"I think so." Again she giggled as Pedro puffed up and smiled wider. Then she looked over to Nico who was flying quickly to her right, and he was totally in the zone. She could almost see steam coming out his ears. "Don't worry Nico, Sonny's fine."

"Hmm," He turned his gaze back to her and smiled, "I know. She's my girl, of course she's fine."

"I see." Nora sighed. _They are insanely in love._ She thought with a smile. Then they came to the clearing.

"Oh my gosh!" Pedro gasped when they landed just outside the clearing which encircled a huge trunked tree with a hole about halfway up. A hole just big enough for an owl's nest.

"This is Luís' tree." Nico breathed.

"Luís was brought here by Phillip for the same purpose as the kidnapping. He as good as gone now, though." Nora explained at the sight of Nico's pale face, "We're not quite there yet though." Nora again took to the air and led them around to the back of the tree. "Stay here. I'll be right back." She buzzed up to a miniscule hole in the side of the tree and disappeared.

Then Nico looked at his brother who had a dreamy look on his face as he watched the hummingbird disappear. _I told you Pedro, _the canary thought, _once you find your girl. Life is never the same._


	9. Chapter 9: Reunited for a Plan

**NEW 9!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

**Reunited for a Plan**

I was pacing by the tunnel, waiting for Nora's return. Since she had left, a pair of moneys had come in with fresh water, which was strange, and had offered us a bit of food. We had refused it, for fear of poison, but it had looked delicious.

"What if she got caught?" Tia asked worriedly.

"No, we would have hears the conflict." I replied, "She'll be back soon." _I hope. _Just as I thought that, I heard Nora buzz through the hole. "Nora's back guys!" I whispered loudly, but I didn't need to, everyone heard her.

"Sonny! Sonny!" The little iridescent green and purple ball zips right into me, bowling me over. "He's here! Your Nico's here!"

"Shhhh! You want Phillip to hear you?" I scolded, my heart pounding in my chest. "Now what about Nico? Did you find him?" Now I was tingling with excitement.

"Yes! I found him and I brought him here!" She exclaimed. My blood froze.

"You what?" In a flash I was down the hole and scratching at it to make it big enough I can fit my starved body through. My heart was racing with fear now. "They can't find Nico, Please Lord don't let Phillip capture him!" I was mumbling to myself.

* * *

><p>Nico watched as chunks of wood flew from the small hole Nora had flown through. Flashes of sunshine yellow proved that it was Sonora trying to burst through. His heart leaped to his throat when his Sonny peeked her pretty head out, her green eyes flashing, and stealing the bottle cap wearing canary's breath away. Then she soared down to a bright yellow fern.<p>

"SHE IS ALIVE!" Nico nearly screamed and took off to wear his heart's greatest joy had landed.

* * *

><p>I dove out of the hole and was able to use my weak wings to glide to the forest floor. Then I hit the ground under a fern and called softly, "Nico! Nico I'm over here!" There was a soft rustle of feathers, and I heard someone land behind me. Slowly I turned around, and there he was as if in a dream; Nico. Immediately tears sprang to my eyes and my vision was blurred.<p>

We took about five seconds to analyze the damage that indigo devil had done. I noticed the pronounced bump on my sunbeam's head, and a few places of thinned out feathers. _I'm gonna kill that macaw! I'm gonna completely destroy him! _I thought angrily, but the whole time I was smiling. Then I cracked and the tears came flowing down both of our faces, and we rushed forward with outstretched wings. The feeling of his strong wings wrapping around me was the best feeling in the entire world, and I never wanted to leave.

"Oh Sonny!" He murmured into my feathers where his face was buried in the crook of my neck, "I thought I would never see you again!" Nico said through our tears. He's holding me so tightly it is almost smoldering, but I couldn't imagine a better place to be. The smell of his feathers where my face is buried in his chest was the most incredible thing in the world.

"I would get out one way or another to get home to you!" I told him with a sniffle. We stay in the hug for a while longer, then he holds me by my shoulders and makes me look into his warm, teared-up, amber eyes. My heart felt happy for the first time since Friday night. We pulled each other close again, and he kissed me passionately. After he let me go I started talking and the words just fell out of my beak.

"Phillip tried to tell me that you were dead." I told him choking on more sobs. "I wouldn't believe it! I _knew_ it wasn't true, and here you are! Come to rescue me!" We shared a choking laugh.

"I am your shining knight after all." My Nico joked, wiping away my tears, and I his.

"No, you're my shining _sunbeam_." I replied sweetly, and gave him another kiss.

"Oh! I believe this is yours?" He took my necklace from around his neck and places it over my head with the gentlest touch. "We should probably get out of here though. Then we can come back for the rest with more help." He grabbed my wing and began to walk away from the clearing.

"I can't leave them here." I stopped walking, and made him stop. Nico looked back in shock.

"You're starving, you have no way to fly, and you are attacked in there. You're a prisoner! You need to escape!" He says in an awestruck voice.

"Nico, they'll only suffer worse if I am gone." I pulled him back, and he placed his wings around my shoulders, "Nora and I are the only ones that can fit through the hole yet. Poor Tia could never fit through there, and she's hurt. I have to stay." I explained looking him in the eye. He looked to the ground; then snapped his head up with new determination written on his face.

"Then I'm coming with you." Tipping his hat forward and puffing out his chest Nico stepped back, wings balled into fists.

"No!" I almost shouted, and my wings shot to his shoulders, "I'm not letting Phillip even know your still alive!" I choked on another sob, and continued with a shaky voice, "He'll kill you Nico, just like Luís tried to. All of the trouble we've had is all my fault, and I'm not letting you get hurt because of me anymore. I knew I was a curse." Then I started crying again.

"What?" My poor Nico was so confused by my words, but he pulled me to him and stroked the back of my head while I sobbed, clinging to his feathers like my very life depended on it. "Shh babe," He crooned, "Now what's wrong?"

I took a shuddering breath and wiped my eyes, then tried to explain what I had learned, "Phillip brought Luís here after you met me. He's been planning this whole problem since freaking high school!" I'm sobbing again. I'm so scared of losing him…I just don't know what I would do, again.

Then feathers stand up on the back of my neck, as I feel someone's eyes on us. I heard a twig snap and whirled around. "No need to cry." Two monkeys stepped through the leaves and stand in front of us. Nico jumped in front of me and bristles. I tensed and prepare for a fight.

"What do you want?" Nico growled enraged by their presence. I stepped up right next to him, ready to fight for what I loved more than anything.

"The same as you; freedom." One of the monkeys is more of a tawny red color, while the other is dark grey, almost black. Both have tufts of white hair by their ears and large brown eyes. The grey one had spoken.

"You work for Phillip. Seems to me you've got it pretty good, why do you want free?" I ask them drying my eyes and trying to calm my breathing.

"Phillip has kept us here by keeping our leader's son captured. We have to stay or he will be killed." The russet one explained quickly as emotion flickered over the black one's face.

"How awful!" I gasped. _I hope that never happens to our chicks…_ I thought fearfully.

"How do we know you're not lying?" Nico was still cautious, but I took his wing in mine just for comfort.

"We just want to live our lives free like you birds do. Sure we can't fly, but we love our freedom. Right now we're living in an invisible cage." They grey one spoke again, "We could ruin everything by talking to you."

"We'll do whatever it takes to free ourselves." I affirmed, "Nico and I just want to live our life in peace. So far the most peaceful time of our lives was high school." I explained. Nico and I laughed at the sad truth of my words. The monkeys snickered with us.

"Every other monkey here wants the same thing and none more so than our leader. We already have a plan, and if you follow what we tell you you'll be out within the night." And so we discussed our plans. We talked until dark and the monkeys told us that Phillip would be checking on the prisoners.

"We won't be with the patrol that goes in with Phillip. So try not to go too crazy, we don't want to hurt you, but we have to obey the macaw. See you soon." Then our simian accomplices were gone. I turned to Nico and sadness crept across his face.

"I love you." I crooned turning his beak to face me and resting my forehead on his.

"I love you more." Nico whispered tightening his grip on me. We held each other tightly for a few more seconds then let go.

"I'll see you soon." I give him one last, long, kiss and struggled to fly back up to the hole in our prison. I looked back and blow my sweet Nico a kiss. I saw tears in his eyes as I turned around and walked back into the cage.

"It's Sonny! She's still alive!" Consuela nearly tackled me with a hug.

"Oh we thought you were done for!" Fiona, Angelica, Nora, Lattie and Tia ran over to me in a flurry of feathers.

"I'm glad you got to see your sunbeam." Jewel came over and joined the hug pile.

"Thanks Jewel. Nico says hi, but you'll all get to meet him within the night." I explained from under the pile of feathers. When I received looks of confusion, I explained further. "The monkeys, Nico, and I made a plan. I'll explain more later." I whispered as the sound of beating feathers filled the chamber.

"Ah our little starving piles of feathers. How are we today?" Phillip landed and circled our group. I stood in front, frail chest puffed out, angrily. The crazy macaw stopped in front of me and jabbed my chest with his short talon. I gasped in pain as something cracked.

"We're starving. What do you seriously think we could be doing?" I wheezed, wrapping a wing around my throbbing chest.

"Other than listening to our stomachs growl?" Jewel added stepping next to my side defensively.

"I had hoped that at least one of you would be dead by now." He walked around us again and tried to single out Nora. We just clustered closer around her. "You're all managing fairly well I see. Tell you what, I'll let you have a little food, if," He paused and tapped his beak thoughtfully; "You tell me where Nico's hiding." He flashed his gaze back to me, and a wolfish smile came across his face. My heart stopped completely for a second, and I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"I…I…I don't know what you're talking about." I said trying my best to get my heart pumping again.

"I know he's alive. I knew that the night I _almost_ killed him." Phillip cackled as my face took on a look of shock. "I wanted him to live with a few bumps and bruises, then, I was going to let him watch me kill you." He tapped my chest again and I shrieked. Shock disappeared and hate filled me. I stepped right up to the macaw's blue and yellow face.

"Not even in your dreams." I spat in his face, and he leaped back flapping at his face.

"You know that I don't mind killing you now?" Phillip hissed. "Why not just get rid of a pest when I have it caught?" He leaped in the air and grabbed me by my throat. I heard another shriek and saw a flash of blue. Jewel was chasing the macaw! He screamed and dropped me as Jewel landed on top of him clawing at his face. Consuela, Lattie, and Angelica helped me right myself, but I landed clumsily as the pain in my chest caused me to screamed again.

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><p><strong>HOLY WOW THIS IS SO PRECIOUS! Tehehe, it's only gonna get better! <strong>


	10. Chapter 10: A New Strategy

**There we go. I combined I think two chapters, to here you go with that. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

**A New Strategy**

"Did you figure out a plan?" Pedro asked me when I returned to the group. My heart was still pounding from getting to see Sonny, and I wiped away the few tears that still lingered in my eyes.

"Yeah. Sonny went back in there to rally the prisoners." I explained in a hushed voice, "Patty, Josie; You girls need to go back to Albert's and get more help. Any and all of the birds you can find." I told my girls best friends, "Bring them here and tell them that the monkeys are our allies. Go! And hurry!" The girls nodded and took off back the way they had come.

"What about me?" Pedro asked.

"Well aside from daydreaming about Nora," I smirked as he shot me a look of daggers.

"I'm not daydreamin' 'bout nobody!" He snapped.

"Mhm…Sure." I hummed and his face heated with a blush.

"Fine…she's cute." My brother mumbled sheepishly.

"What? I couldn't hear you?" I pressed, and cupped my wing by my ear.

"She's cute! That's what I said!" Pedro exploded.

"You know," I tapped my beak, and narrowed my eyes thoughtfully, "That sounds very familiar…" Then I snapped my feathers and turned back to him, "I said the exact same thing about Sonny! And where are we now?"

"One of you is stuck in a tree with a murderous macaw, and the other is worried out of their feathers about the other." He replied quickly. I rolled my eyes, exasperatedly.

"You know what I meant." I gave him a look.

"Oh…"

"That's right!"

"Would you just can it? They're both in there and I want to get them out," Pedro turned back to the tree, "Unlike some birds around here."

I chuckled and stepped up next to him, "Bro, get ready to kick some serious tail feathers!" We shared a chest bump and soared over to where we could see the tree better. "The monkeys want us to pick the lock on their leader's son's cage and they will be free, and so will Sonora and the rest of the captives." We hid in the foliage of the perfect look-out branch; from our perch we could see the hollow and the back of the tree.

We sat for a while in the silence, waiting for the signal when, through the silence cut a bloodcurdling shriek. My eyes got wide, and my heart rate shot through the roof. In a flash my wings were spread and I was launching myself off the branch. Pedro noticed just in time and tackled me down to the bark. "That's Sonora! Pedro, let me go!" I shouted at him, struggling with all my might to free myself. Then the clearing became quiet. _God don't let her be dead!_ I begged the heavens.

"Listen to yourself! We have to wait for the signal!" Pedro replied. Then, as if heaven really did hear me, more squawking and screaming came from the tree. "You'll only put Sonora in more danger by flying in there without a plan!" The red-headed bird tightened his grip on me.

"Fine! FINE!" I sighed and my brother set me back down. Then a cry of agony floated from the hollow. _Oh Sonny! Be brave! _ I whipped my gaze back to the hollow, and the two monkeys appeared at the hole, their faces taught with worry. "Come on! We need to move!" I told Pedro and shot off the branch. Immediately we're in the hollow, and are showered with orders.

"Speed and luck is all we have left. Red-head," The grey one pointed to Pedro, "You come with me. Cheek you stay with the canary and wait for my signal."

"See you on the battle field." Cheek replied.

"Don't do anything crazy." Pedro warned me and followed the grey monkey down a tunnel. I was then left, awkwardly left alone with the russet furred marmoset. I started to pace and took off my beloved bottle cap, holding it tightly in my wings. Subconsciously I rolled the teal and ocean blue cap across my shoulders; this along with many other menial tricks.

"You want to see the chamber?" Cheek asked with a sigh, obviously annoyed with my nervous habits.

"Probably shouldn't, but ok." I flipped the bottle cap onto my head and followed the monkey down another tunnel and to a small ledge. Below us the scene is nothing but utter chaos.

A pretty blue macaw, a small cockatiel, and the hummingbird Nora from earlier were attacking Phillip full force; ripping off clumps of feathers and clawing with heathen vigor. A tall, spindly crane, with a tattered bandage around her leg, stood protectively in front of a group of four birds; a rose-ringed parakeet, blue and gold macaw, and a tiny green finch helped up a scrawny, yet breathtakingly beautiful, canary. The poor yellow bird winced as she inhaled, but bit back a scream.

"Sonny." I whispered and spread his wings to go to her.

"She's hurt, but not too badly." Cheek informed me with a warning glance. I ignored it and tense to jump off the ledge, but the marmoset spoke again, "The signal will come soon." I hefted a sigh and plopped down, crossing my wings over my chest. We watched with heavy hearts as the battle continued.

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><p>"It's time!" Shade burst back into the hollow screaming her own entrance. That morning Selena had sent her to watch the prison tree and report back if anything crazy happened. Inkfeather was recruiting more wings for the oncoming battle, and the quetzal was in her hollow preparing weapons and sharpening her own talons. At the young cockatoo's entrance Selena whirled around, and dropped a dagger that was in her wings.<p>

"What did you see?" The F.N. asked, heart leaping to her throat.

"Nico, Pedro, Josephine, Patrice, and one of the captured birds, Nora I believe was her name, came back to the tree. Nora went back into the prison to tell Sonora that Nico was there and then the canary met her mate on the forest floor. Then our monkey met them and they made a plan. I caught their conversation and it's exactly what we wanted." She panted quickly, picking up the dagger and placing it back on the work table.

"Perfect." Selena strapped a different knife to her leg and checked the sharpness of her talons one last time. She grabbed a strawberry, tossed it in the air and slashed it into perfect slices, one berry per talon.

"Wow…" Shade gaped.

"That means I'm ready." Sel chuckled. "My father and I used to do that before each mission…" _Now now… focus. _She turned back to the young agent, "Go find your mentor and head for the tree. I'll be waiting." Together they walked out to the front branch, and just before taking off, Shade took a breath.

"Your father would be proud of you. I've heard of him, and I know he would be." Her brown eyes looked so innocent as she spoke.

Selena felt tears sting at her eyes, but took a deep breath and replied, "Thank you. Now get outta here." The quetzal shooed Shade off the branch. With a last friendly smile, they split their courses and sent up a silent prayer for luck.

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><p>I stood shakily with the help of Fiona and Angelica. As I did I tried to take a deep breath and calm the pain, but I only succeeded in creating more agony for myself. I groaned and wobbled a bit. "Be careful Sonora. You'll only make the wound worse by jumping around." Fiona told me warmly.<p>

"You're up; good." Tia turned around to look me over. "You need to stay out of the rest of this. You could tear muscles if you're not careful." The crane informed me and looked back over her shoulder at the triumphant looking battle behind her.

"I'll be there just like the rest of you." I told my group. Just as I opened my stupid mouth, though, Jewel is thrown against the wall, Lattie takes a claw across the chest, and Phillip snags hold of Nora in mid-flight, clasping his talons around her throat. With a malicious grin, he took one of her fast beating, iridescent wings and snapped it like a twig. I gasped as Nora screamed and fainted from the agonizing pain. Not a thought went through my mind as I flung myself onto the Hyacinth's back. I started pecking and clawing; tearing out more clods of his ever thinning feathers. Phillip continued to scream bloody murder as Fiona joined me.

Suddenly a round of cheers came up, and I could also hear the whir of thousands of feathers cutting through the air above it. Looking up I saw birds of all shapes and sizes soar through the tunnels at the top of the tree, and a few smaller ones came through the hole we had made. I leapt off of the shrieking pile of indigo feathers and sorted through the chaos for my boys. Ignoring the torment of fiery pain in my chest, I spied Pedro and flew over to them. Instantly I'm wrapped in a tight hug, and I gasped as more pain filled me from their gesture.

"What's wrong?" Pedro asked worriedly as he hovered in front of me.

"It's my chest. I think something's either broken, fractured, bruised, or, the most likely, a combination of all three." I explained. Nico's face darkened with a cold, hard fury that I've never seen in him before.

"That's it!" He snarled irately. Without another word, my sunbeam glided down to the center of the chamber, landing not two feet in front of Phillip.

"Nico! No!" I shouted, but he couldn't hear me over the sound of all the wings.

"We have to help him!" Pedro called to me and I nodded. We followed Nico and landed on either side of him. Shoulder to shoulder we stood to face our nemesis.

"The Three Amigos," Phillip cackled as his marmosets filled in behind him as quickly as our friends landed behind us. There is a crackling tension above our heads and I can almost hear thunder within the tree. Then macaw's face was almost devoid of feathers and there were several bloody patches where the indigo feathers where already ripped away.

"You sound scared." Pedro hissed his wings balled into fists, and a scowl on his face.

"Funny, the word fear isn't in my vocabulary." Phillip replied with another deranged chuckle, and a thoughtful smirk.

"But it's in your eyes." Nico replied smoothly, glaring daggers at him. The macaw's deformed face twisted with fury as he was bested.

"You can't win here Nico." He hissed.

"Oh yes they can!" A proud voice called from above us. Every head turned as a scraggly black monkey crawled through the center tunnel. Every jaw hit the floor, none faster than Phillip's, as a dark red simian ran over to the newcomer.

"My son! You're safe!" He cried and wrapped his arms around the young one.

"We're free now Pops." The son replied and hugged his father back tightly. Some of the tension melted away right there, though electricity still pulsed in imaginary storm clouds above our heads.

"No!" Phillip growled. Before I could react I was snagged by the throat and lifted into the air. Nico leapt up to attack Phillip, but with one swift swing of the macaw's enormous wing, he was thrown against the wall . Pedro flew over to Nico and helped him regain his footing. "I will not be beaten!" The macaw shouted one last time, waving me around like an old rag.

"You already are!" I choked out the words in a strangled voice, as he tightened his grip.

"No, my dear, you are." He crooned. Then turning to the other bird's he called, "Move a feather and she dies." Indigo wings spread wider and I was dragged upwards. I kicked and struggled, grabbing at his claw, as I was getting lightheaded, but his talons only got tighter.

"Nico! Ped…" I croaked, but was cut off as we disappeared from the hollow. We reached his personal chamber, grabbed something I couldn't see because I was pinned to the ground, and took off again, with a gusto that sent a new fear throughout my body.


	11. Chapter 11: Almost Freedom

**Chapter 11**

**Almost Freedom**

"Sonora!" Both Pedro and I shouted. Without hesitation, we shot into the air.

"You can't follow them!" Rupert strided over with the crane on his wing; he was glad to be back with her, I could tell, and it only made me want to fly after that blue so and so much more.

"He'll kill her whether we follow or not!" I replied and turned back to the tunnel I saw Phillip and my girl disappear into. I flew further, but noticed no one was following me.

"We have to try and stop him!" Pedro agreed, but stayed where he was.

"He said move a _feather_." The black monkey we had talked to earlier said, and looked to the troop smiled and the rest of his troopmirrored his expression.

"We can follow him!" Cheek shouted triumphantly.

"I would love to be the first to catch that feather brain! Let's go!" The prince screeched, and the entirety of the monkey colony cheered, and was gone through the tunnels in mere seconds.

"I'm going with them." The crane decided spontaneously.

"Tia; you're wounded and starving. Come home." Rupert pleaded similar to how I had with Sonny earlier.

"No Rupert," She stayed his wings as he moved to hug her, but she pecked his cheek kindly as recompense, "I love you, but Sonora is the whole reason any of this happened," She gestured to the birds all around, and a few of the girls that had been reunited with loved ones, "We would have starved if she hadn't encouraged us to dig a little deeper into our hope. I'm going." Then she stepped over to where I was hovering.

"Me too!" The rest of the girls agreed as one, and joined Tia and I; all except for Nora.

Pedro looked around eagerly, hoping to see her fly over to us, but she didn't come. Then I spotted a heap of feathers in a dark corner, "Uhh, bro…" I pointed in the direction of the hummer who was still out cold.

"No!" My brother gasped, and I, sadly, knew exactly how he felt. He dove over to her, and I could almost hear his heart breaking. Gently he swept a feather over her tiny face and his face brightened. I landed by him, curious. "She's alive!" He turned to me with beaming smile.

"Of course she is bro." I patted him on the back, and felt happy for him.

"I'll take her to Albert's." Pedro informed the rest of us, then turned back to me and gave me a man-hug. "Go get our Sonny back." He murmured and stepped back.

"Thanks Pedro." I replied and put on a look of pure determination. "I will if it kills me."

"Alright, but I'd prefer that you don't." He joked and turned back to the hummer. He hovered over Nora's unconscious body, gently grabbed her under her wings, lifter her off the floor, and nodded.

I smiled again and leapt into the air. "This is the time we've all been waiting for," I called to the assembled birds, "_Now_ is the time we free the jungle of Phillip's tyrannical reign! _Now_ is the time we fight for everything he stole from us! _Now_ is the time we save Sonora in thanks for the hope she brought us!" This aroused boisterous cheers.

"For Sonny!" The cockatiel cried, totally spontaneously, vaulting into the air next to me. I smiled brightly at her and she blushed madly.

"For Sonny!" Everybird cheered and followed the cockatiel and I up the vents. She was on my tail, and together we entered a smaller hollow.

"Well this is weird…" I murmured.

"This is Phillip's hollow." She replied, and stepped over to a bottle of strong smelling stuff.

"Wait,…whatever your name is…!" I gasped and pulled her back, before she could whiff it.

"Lattie," She giggled, "Lattie Tiel."

"Oh," I smiled and realized I was holding her wing. I quickly dropped it and blushed, "That's a pretty name."

There was a few more moments of awkward silence until Lattie cleared her throat, and spoke, "Well, what is this stuff?"

"Oh yeah," I ruffled my feathers, and snapped back into reality, "It's chloroform. It'll knock you out and then some." I rubbed my head remembering the headache I had after waking up in the club. "I wonder why Phillip has it…"

"He knocks Jewel out every time he comes down to the chamber. This has to be the stuff." Realization hit me like a ton of bricks when I saw a ripped up rag, and could smell the chloroform from where I stood.

"We need to go!" I dragged her out the door and out into the sky. Quickly we caught up to Tia and she smiled.

"This way! Follow the monkeys!" Tia took the lead between Lattie and I and followed the trail of simians that had started thin, just a few scouts left to hold the place, but as they got deeper into the jungle there were more and more. Soon the roar of an enormous waterfall could be heard.

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><p>Phillip dragged me through the trees with maniac grace. I was truly surprised that he could still fly with all of his missing feathers, and inwardly smiled at the fact that I had removed most of them. Then I returned to fighting for air as his grip was so tight; this was also making the chord from my necklace chafe against my neck and rip my little feathers out. I could barely hear the waterfall even though I could feel the spray. "You remember what I told you?" Phillip crooned over the roar of the water, and jerked me closer to his face.<p>

"What? That I was going to die in that stinking tree?" I rasped.

"Well, that," He shrugged, and lowered his talon again, "Along with the fact that I am going to make Nico watch you die, slowly." He then landed on a rock above the highest fall. With a grunt he threw me down, and I slid across the slick, mossy surface gasping for precious air. Around the macaw's leg was the white cloth; he untied the knot and held it in his talons. In flight I figured out that it was soaked in chloroform, and considering my past experiences with that nasty stuff, I wasn't about to let him touch me with it.

"What do you think you can possibly gain by killing me?" I was desperate and saw no way to escape this bird by flying. I was too weak and the jungle was too far away. I was trapped.

"I can finally have my revenge." The deformed face of my captor stepped closer, and I stepped back. As I did, my foot slipped on the edge and I fluttered a bit to keep from falling into the murderous current of the river.

"Revenge for what?" I gasped, from the pain, "A high school girl? Everyone has had their heart broken." I said gently. I felt like I was talking to a bipolar child; he could snap at any moment. "I more than once have had mine broken; and come to think of it, it was all your fault." I growled, sick of this walking on pins and needles.

"You don't understand," The macaw's face became wistful, "Selena loved me and Nico bewitched her." Phillip raised the cloth to end me. I scowled at him, at the mention of my sunbeam doing anything wrong. Then realized that I was about to walk into The Light. _Nico, I want you to know you are the love of my life, and I'm sorry we never got the chance to have chicks together!_ I thought, and closed my eyes.

"I never loved you!" A strong, lyrical voice called from above us. I snapped my eyes open, and we looked up in shock to see the iridescent green wings and bright, ruby red chest of an angelic quetzal shoot towards us. Talons poised for a kill, she landed between Phillip and I.

"Se…Sel…Selena?" Phillip whispered, and nearly dropped the cloth.

She didn't answer his question, but continued with her words, and glared at him, "I never loved you because you tried to trap me like you did all these other innocent birds. Look at yourself Phillip!" She gestured to his thinned feathers, and wounded body, "You're half bald, completely crazy, and are a convicted murderer!" She sighed exasperatedly, "This is a new low." Selena was also in a protective stance in front of me; her wings still spread half way and her feathers standing on end.

"I know you loved me. Why else would you tell me so?" Phillip asked still in shock.

"I told you to try and make you go away. Until I met Nico I was too scared to tell you off. _He_ saved my life." She hissed stepping closer to the deformed macaw. "Ever since high school I've been chasing criminals all over South America, trying to be half the agent my father was. Somehow every time I caught a smugglers bird they told me that they worked for you."

"You're a F.N.?" Phillip's jaw hit the slippery rock. This gorgeous bird was a well-trained, highly intelligent, crime fighter? _You did hear my prayers!_

"Yes." She snarled, and visibly tensed, "I knew you'd go crazy at one point, I just didn't think it would take me this long to find you again." Selena over-emphasized the last word and jumped off the rock, soaring towards him with outstretched talons.


	12. Chapter 12: Safety

**Ok new chapter 12, and soon to be BRAND new chapter 13. I hope you like! **

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

**Safety**

Then I heard it; the sound of my rescue! Both Selena and Phillip froze in midflight, and stood ram-rod straight when they heard the whir of my friends' wings. "The Calvary's a-comin'!" I heard someone shout joyfully, and trumpet their charge.

"We're here!" I jumped up and down, despite the agonizing fire in my chest, and waved my wings around like a maniac. Immediately I saw Nico's elated face somewhere in the lead. He waved to both the quetzal and I. I blew him a kiss which he caught with a funny maneuver that made me smile.

Then Selena returned to the job close at hand, and took another step towards the indigo heathen. He retaliated, and jumped at her, swiping his claws at her throat. She jumped back, bumped me, and was able to keep me out of the current with a twist of her wing. Althogh while she was focused on me, Phillip shot over her head and was in the air.

"Nico!" The macaw roared, and I gasped, "You're _mine_!" Then he flapped with all possible speed right at Nico, a murderous gleam in his deranged eyes.

"NO!" I screamed and tried to fly off the rock, but only succeeded in falling into the water.

"For the love of samba…" I barely heard Selena sigh exasperatedly, and took off after me. Just as I fell over the edge of the falls, she snagged my wing and hauled me up to another rock, closer to the edge. "DON'T do that again." She hissed in my ear.

"Sorry!" I gasped and started to shiver. Then I heard a shout, and turned back around, just to want to launch myself off the rock again. Phillip reached Nico and nicked him a couple of times to get my sunbeam off balance then he spiraled above a very disoriented canary. Then my heart stopped as the macaw dove, full out, at Nico; he wrapped his talons around the back of his yellow neck. Nico kicked and squirmed, but he couldn't seem to loosen Phillip's grip.

Holding Nico's neck in his talons, Phillip raised the cloth, which was formerly meant for me, pressed, and held it to Nico's face. My brave little sunshine struggled, and kicked, trying not to breathe, and get free, but it was no use. Soon his bright yellow body went completely limp, and my heart froze as Phillip dropped Nico into the churning waters hundreds of feet below us.

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><p>"Enough!" Selena shrieked and flew off the top of the waterfall, leaving the distraught female canary behind her. She grabbed the indigo macaw by his throat, and her momentum slammed them into the cliff face. Phillip's back snapped with a crunch as he hit the cliff directly.<p>

"I know_ I_ loved _you_." Phillip choked as his lungs began to fill with blood. He knew it was over for him, but he had to try and crack into her emotions.

"No Phillip. You didn't love me." Selena snarled and shook her head, "All you wanted was the jealousy of all those other birds just because you had me on your wing. I never wanted it to come to this, but this is what must be done." Selena's heart was a cold stone of justice and disappointment. She felt no pity for this lawless, selfish, all around horrible bird.

"You're right. That _was_ all I wanted." Then he was able to smile a bit, "You know that your father was sent after me too…" Selena's eyes flashed and she felt fury build up within her.

"Don't speak of my father!" She shook him, but he continued.

"When he found my base, and all of the birds I was smuggling out of this good for nothing city, I _killed_ him." The quetzal gasped, and nearly dropped the Hyacinth. "_I _was the bird that murdered your father; the one you could never find no matter how hard you looked." He chuckled, "But now _you_ will have to live with the fact that you killed _me_." With his dying strength Phillip swiped a claw across Sel's crimson chest. She shrieked in pain, mental and physical, and dropped him. He fell like an old rag and plunged to his death in the destructive waters at the base of the waterfall.

"Goodbye Phillip." Selena murmured, her quest to avenge her father complete, and soared to the top of the cliff where the rest of the birds were waiting.

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><p>"NOOOOO!" I shrieked, after Selena took off, and dove off the rock after Nico. I knew I couldn't fly us both out of there in my weakened state, but I was not going to watch my only love fall to his death. It was hard to even hear myself think, as I cut through the gloomy mist. <em>No! It can't end like this! <em>I thought while frantically searching for that tell-tale flash of yellow. Nothing but the spray of the waterfall, until…There! I spied Nico's bright yellow feathers and spread my wings to soar to him. "Nico! Nico! Please don't be dead!" I cried to whoever was listening.

Just as I wrapped my wing around Nico's still body, "Sonny!" I thought I heard a voice. "Sonny! Grab this!" I did hear somebird! I looked up to see Jewel, Tia, Angelica, Consuela, Lattie, and Fiona diving after me with a strong vine in their claws. I double checked my hold on Nico, and grabbed the vine from Fiona's wing. We were jerked to a stop and I almost dropped my poor sunbeam.

"Pull!" Tia shouted, flying back towards the light. I heard grunts, and squawks and we were hefted upwards. "Pull!" The drill was repeated until we could see the bright blue sky again. By the time Nico and I were hauled over the edge of the precipice, we were soaked to the bone. With the addition of the water Nico's body started to get heavier, and my wings felt like they weighed a ton on their own. I wobbled for a few steps, after setting Nico down, and collapsed in a heap of sunny yellow feathers and a shell, my head on his slowly breathing chest.

"Give them some air. Come on guys. You'll get to see them again later." My girls were shooing everyone back, so I wasn't pounded with words. I smiled and my exhaustion finally hit me. My eyes fluttered closed, and the sound of Nico's breathing making me feel all warm and tingly on the inside.

Just as I was about to fall into a deep sleep, I received a soft shake. I opened my eyes to see Selena standing there. I furrowed my brow and opened my beak to speak, but she shushed me with a wave of her wing. "Phillip is no longer a threat to anyone. You and Nico are free to live your lives in peace now." She murmured kindly. I beamed at her, and sat up.

"Thank you for everything." I tell her, "You saved both our lives." I stood quietly and gestured to _my_ heap of feathers and bottle cap.

"You know they're right," A teasing grin played on the quetzal's emerald green face, "The bottle cap _is_ a nice touch." We shared a quiet laugh.

"I'm glad you think so." I replied with a gasp. I had forgotten about my chest.

"Are you hurt?" She wrapped a wing protectively around me as I faltered.

"I think Phillip broke my breast-bone." I wheezed as the pain subsided, "I'm not leaving Nico in this state though." I settled back next to him, pulling his head onto my lap.

"That cloth had chloroform on it," She informed me, "I've seen similar at every one of my crime scenes." The beautiful bird sat next to me, still smiling.

"The same thing was used on me. I didn't wake up for about a day." I explained.

"I'm sure. A day to two days is the average time that birds are out."

"I just hope he doesn't lose his memory. I could smell that stuff and Phillip was about two feet from me." I sighed and stroked Nico's handsome face with my flight feather.

"He'll be fine. Nico's stronger than you think." Selena informed me.

"I know." I kissed him gently, and sat back up, "I still can't fathom all he's gone through for me. He was captured by a smuggler, aka Phillip. He found me that night six years ago, he kept himself away from me for three years after that. Now this." I sighed.

"That's just how much he loves you." The quetzal said, showing emotion I didn't know she had. I looked at her and we were both grinning, "After he met you I talked to him once before joining the F.N. He seemed happier than normal, and I asked him what had gotten into him." She chuckled softly. "He told me that he had met the most wonderful, beautiful, incredible bird in the world." She stood and acted the way Nico would have; walking around and making dramatic gestures with her wings.

"'The first time I saw her I knew she was the one for me. I watched her dance and sing up on that stage, and the whole time she couldn't take her bright smile off her wonderful face. Then we went to the beach, and there was a magical glow around her that enraptured me. The way she danced turned something on inside me. As she sang on the sugar sand, I danced with her, and at the end of her song, she slapped this on my head.'" Selena gestured to Nico's cap. "'I'll never take it off.'"

"I knew he loved me, but back then I thought it was just a heartthrob type thing." I told the quetzal, and kissed Nico's cheek again. There was a pause as I thought what we didn't need to say, _But now, it's really love._

After a while of watching him sleep, I yawned, and Selena took a breath, "I should probably make sure you both get home safely; part of the job you know." Selena stood and hovered over my sleeping sunbeam. Ever so gently she secured him in her talons, and followed my lead back to Canary Corner. It felt good to land on the front branch and open the door I hadn't seen for so long. She soared through the wide open door and laid Nico on the floor.

"If you wouldn't mind setting him in the nest; you would be saving me a lot of trouble." I motioned to the enticing bed of moss and feather that Nico and I shared.

"There we go." Selena mumbled setting Nico in the bowl like he had settled there to go to sleep. "Well, I suppose I should get out of your feathers. Good luck." She held out a beautiful green-gold wing for me to shake.

"Thank you for everything." I ignored her wing completely and wrapped her in a thankful hug. "If you _ever_ need anything you know where to find us." I told her from the hug.

"I might have to take you up on that offer sometime." She smiled and walked to the door. "You're both very lucky to have so many true friends."

"I'll tell you one thing," I smiled at her, "You've got me for life, girlie."

"Thank you Sonora." With one last smile Selena leapt out the door and soared back in the direction of the crime scene.

Walking back into my room I smiled at the mere sight of Nico sacked out with his bottle cap nearly falling off his poor head. I took off my necklace and placed it on its usual hook. "It's good to be home." I mumbled and tucked myself under Nico's wing. I fell asleep to the sound of his heart beating, and it was the best feeling in the universe.

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><p>The next morning the sun woke to the sound of Sonora humming the tune of the first song she ever sang for Nico: <em>I Won't Say I'm in Love<em>. Just as she finished the song with a golden note, she heard the rustle of feathers coming from her room. This was accompanied by a groan then a small yelp. With a smile to herself, she picked up a bag of crushed ice, and walked through the doorway.

"Mornin' Sleeping Beauty." She teased her partner as he sat up in the nest.

"Sonny?" He gasped. The last thing Nico remembered was her screaming, and then his world going black.

"Yea. I made sure you got home ok." She came to sit down beside him with the bag of crushed ice still in her wing.

"I must be dead then," The bottle cap wearing canary said taking the ice from her and placing it on his head. Sonora cocked her eyebrow in a questioning way, and he continued "Because I see an angel, and she's sitting right beside me." He smiled as she blushed.

"You're too sweet." Sonny kissed him softly and pulled him into a hug.


	13. Chapter 13: Suprise

**This chapter is brand new so I really hope you like it and find it to be quite precious! Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

**Surprise**

Five days went by and I was starting to feel sick. I couldn't fly for too long without feeling like I was going to vomit, and I had been insanely moody. Just the other day I practically bit Nico's head off because he barely bumped me on his way out the door. I never acted like that! But being the wonderful bird that he is, Nico just let it go, even though that wasn't the first time since the waterfall.

And besides that, I had been crazy hungry. I would eat a full meal, and still feel like I was starving to death. I had no inkling of an idea why this was happening, so I had asked mom and Eva to come over for lunch and talk to me about it.

"Hey hun!" My mom called quietly as she and Eva landed. I just about jumped out of my feathers and whirled on them.

"Don't scare me like that! You almost gave me a heart attack!" I shouted.

"Mood." The two older women shared a look and said the word together. "Check."

"What do you mean 'mood'? I'm perfectly fine!" I snipped.

"And by 'perfectly fine' you mean a bit of a jerk?" Eva said bluntly twisting a wing.

"Am _not_!" I ranted, and they both gave me a look. I sighed, "Sorry. Ever since the waterfall I've been in this horrible funk." Rubbing my face with my wing I handed them both leaf cups of water.

"We understand dear." Mom replied and took a sip. "But have you been feeling sick?" She asked calmly.

"How could you possibly know that?" I gasped. "I've been feeling terrible. I can hardly fly all the way to Three Amigos without feeling like I need to throw-up."

"Nausea," They chorused again, "Check."

"What's with the 'checks?'" I snipped again, getting annoyed.

"It's nothing Sonny, just a little list." Mom smiled. I rolled my eyes. "You know dear, Nico stopped by the other day, alone, and asked us about that granola your father likes. The stuff with the grapefruit."

"Why would he do that?"

"He said you specifically asked for it and couldn't find it anywhere, so he came to us."

"I hate grapefruit! And I've never really liked granola." I said. "Why would I send him to run errands for me anyway? I'm capable." Then I remembered yelling at Nico for some other stupid thing, and telling him to go and get the granola from my mom. My mom who was still wary of him. _Oh Nico, please forgive me._ "Oh…" I placed a flight feather in my beak.

"Cravings, check." They said again, and I glowered at them.

"I asked you to help me with this weird sickness, not insult me."

"We are helping." Eva snapped back, "There's only one more question we need to ask you before we know what's wrong. Clarissa, may I?" The toucan asked my mom.

"By all means." The canary gestured to me with her wing, "But Sonora, you know you can tell me anything right? No secrets." She took hold of my wing and I felt tears well up in my eyes.

"Of course mom." I choked and wiped them away. _What's with these hormones?_

"Alright then," Eva coughed and I turned to face her, "Did you and Nico…" She paused thinking of how to phrase her words, "Play a little _hanky panky _after coming home from the waterfall?" My eyes popped out of my head and I blushed madly.

"Well, umm, maybe a little…" I mumbled feeling like my cheeks were on fire.

"Oh come on! You know if you did or not!" Eva shouted, exasperated.

"Ok! Fine! We did! Is that what you wanted to hear?" I screamed. Both women burst into a fit of laughter. "How is that funny?" I cried.

"You're just adorable!" My mother chuckled.

"I don't really think that's adorable." I crossed my wings and stood. "Wonderful, yes. Adorable, no." After laughing at me for a little while longer, they caught their breath, shared a look and nodded.

"Check."

"Oh for feathers sake! Do you know what's wrong with me or are you just taunting me?" I was getting tired of this game.

"There's only one answer to the question," My mom was beaming at me now, and she and Eva gave me my answer together, "Sonny, you're pregnant." My world went into slow motion.

"What?" I breathed. _Pregnant? _That day… It took a moment to fully register, but finally it clicked and my wings flew to my stomach. "Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh! OHMYGOSH! We're having a baby!" I cried and hugged my mother tightly.

"Congratulations sunshine!" Eva cheered and joined my hug. I was jumping up and down excitedly, and just cheering gibberish words. I teared up again and stepped back. My mom was the same way.

"Aw mom! Don't cry." I hugged her again.

"My baby's going to be a mama bird." She murmured into my feathers.

"And you're gonna be a grandma." I replied.

"Don't ruin the moment." She chuckled and let me go. I smiled and relished the moment. I had a baby inside me, and they were going to be perfect. Then a thought struck me.

"I have to tell Nico!" Spreading my wings I readied myself to fly to Three Amigos.

"Oh no! You can't just walk up to him and say, 'You got me pregnant!' He'll pass out." Eva said and grabbed my wing. "I did that to Rafael on batch one, and he was out for the next day and a half."

"Oh…Then what do I do?" I placed my wing under my chin to think.

"Well, you'll have to make another nest." Mom said.

"Why?"

"You don't want them hatching in _your_ nest! It's a fairly messy process, and the nest will have to be thrown out. And the incubation nest has to be softer; down feathers, moss, and grass. That type of stuff" She explained.

"Oh." An idea hit me and my eyes got wide. "I'll start working on that and you go and find Nico, tell him I need to talk to him, and make it sound urgent. I know what I'll do." I grinned.

"Ok, where should _we_ start?" Eva asked as we walked out to the front branch.

"Hmm…Start at the Three Amigos. Then try Albert's, The Branch, and the beach. Not necessarily in that order." I smiled and felt a burst of energy, "I can't wait!" I squealed and shot up into the branches of our tree to collect twigs for the frame of the nest.

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><p>"Why Ralphy? Why is she so moody?" I asked my toucan friend and tossed another dart at the dart board.<p>

"She was trapped in that tree for almost a week. She's just a little traumatized. It'll blow over." He replied. We were at the beach killing time. Pedro had recently joined us after watching over Nora for the past few days. She was recovering nicely, and her wing would heal perfectly fine.

But through their long talks, and a bit of snuggling in the recovery area, he had fallen in love. It was quite amazing really. I was starting to think my brother would never find his girl, but I was proven wrong. They were adorable together, and I was really happy for him.

"Maybe she's just going through a girl phase. You know how she gets touchy sometimes." The red-capped cardinal added throwing his own dart.

"I know, but this is worse than ever before." I sighed as we retrieved our darts, "I mean she's been downright terrible; ordering me around, telling me that my feathers are messy; the other day she just about took my head off because I stepped on her foot!" I explained and took a sip of some soda we had found. "I love her to death, but jeez."

"Then this is just a test of your love. You think that I like the way Eva talks to me all the time?" We laughed.

"I bet not. That Hot Wing has a hot temper on her." Pedro added still giggling.

"Excuse me?" A new voice sounded behind us. We whirled to see Eva and Clarissa standing there. Eva had her wings crossed, and was glaring daggers at my brother, and Clarissa was beaming at me. I couldn't make any sense of it; she still disliked me.

"Oh hey girls…" I rubbed the back of my neck, "What brings you to the beach this fine day?"

"Sonny was looking for you, she said it's urgent." Eva snapped, still mad at Pedro who was petrified next to me.

"Eva, my love, leave the poor boy alone. Pedro was just funnin'. Weren't you Pedro?" Ralphy shoved Pedro and he nodded, his eyes still round. I smiled at how goofy he was, and turned back to Clarissa.

"Now what about Sonny?"

"She wants you to come back to Canary Corner. She wants to talk to you about something." The canary relayed, her bright blue eyes sparkling. She and Eva shared a giggle, and I was feeling a little nervous.

"Ok. I guess I'll see you guys around." I waved to the boys and took to the sky. _I hope I didn't do anything. _I thought. I made my way through the trees thinking about that morning before I left and readying an apology should I need one.

Soon enough I made it to the front branch and paused outside the door. _Ok, be calm, put on the charm, and smile. _I coached myself and walked through the door. "Sonny?" I called gently and coughed when my voice cracked.

"I'm in our room!" She called back. She sounded cheery, but I didn't want to ruin it. Carefully I walked in to our bedroom and instantly smiled. There she was, my sunshine, working on…was that a new nest?"

"Hey babe," I crooned and walked over to her, "Whatcha doin'?" I wrapped a wing around her shoulders and she paused in her work to give me a surprise kiss. It was a very welcome surprise considering that I had maybe received two a day for the past week.

"Making a new nest." Sonny replied as she pulled back. I blinked a few times and cocked my head to the side, confused.

"What's wrong with our nest?"

"Oh nothing. We have some guests coming to stay with us, and they'll need a place to sleep." A self-satisfied grin played on her face, and her amazing green eyes sparkled.

"Ok." I couldn't help but love her, no matter how moody she was. "Who are they?" I looked over at the vanity and smoothed a few feathers and fixed my bottle cap.

"I don't know." Sonny sighed happily and stood. I turned back to her and she had her wings on her stomach, and a warm glow about her.

"If you don't know who…then…" I was totally lost.

"Nico, honey, we're gonna be parents." For a moment I stood there in utter shock.

"What?" I breathed and stepped up to her, taking her wings in mine.

"I'm pregnant. We're gonna have an egg, Nico." She looked me directly in the eyes and her words finally made sense. I let out a crowing laugh and stepped back.

"Tell me you're not pulling my wing!" I said loudly as a permanent smile came to my face, and my heart pounded, almost painfully, against my breast bone.

"I'm not! I couldn't do that to you!" She too was beaming, and tears brimmed in her eyes. Impulsively I ran up to her, scooped her up in my wings and kissed her hard, long, and like never before. She wrapped her wings around my neck and giggled through the kiss, but didn't pull back.

When we finally ran out of air, we pulled back and rested our foreheads against each other. "I'm gonna be a dad." I breathed.

"And I'm gonna be a mama." She replied and batted her eyes, tickling my cheek with her eyelashes. "And we're going to have the best chicks in the world."

"I know I say this all the time," I smiled and tossed her up so I could adjust my grip. She landed back in my wings with an even bigger smile on her face, "But I love you so much, it's not even funny!" Again she kissed me and a new love bloomed in my heart. A love for my unborn chicks, for the life I've been given, and for my mate. My beautiful, wonderful, perfect Sonora. I pulled back again and set her down gently. "I feel a song coming on!" I teased and smiled goofily at her.

"Oh please. Don't embarrass me." She rolled her eyes and sat down to go to work on the nest again."

"Oh I'll embarrass you all I want. I'm gonna need to practice!" I teased and pulled her to her feet again.

"Ok fine; just because it's for the good of the chick." She smiled and kissed me again. I twirled her around and started to sing.

"_She's a yellow pair of running shoes; a holey pair of jeans. She looks great in cheap sunglasses; she looks great in anything." _Sonny rolled her beautiful green eyes and laughed as I continued. _"She's 'I want a piece of chocolate,' 'Take me to a movie.' She's 'I can't find a thing to wear'; now and then she's moody" _I shrugged my eyebrows at her and again she laughed as I pulled her closer and we danced slowly around our hollow.

"_She's a Saturday in the sunshine; with her gold feathers a-blowing. She's a soft place to land; and a good feelin' knowing. She's a warm conversation, that I wouldn't miss for nothin'. She's a fighter when she's mad; and she's a lover when she's lovin'" _I spun her out slowly and soared into the chorus as she beamed at me. _"And she's everything I ever wanted; everything I need! I talk about her, I go on and on and on. 'Cause she's everything to me." _

I saw tears brimming in her smiling eyes and kept going, singing my heart out, for my girl. _"She's a Friday out on the town; and a church girl on Sunday. She's a shell around her neck;" _I tapped the shell necklace that hung around her neck and chuckled, "_And a cuss word 'cause it's Monday. She's a bubble bath and candles; 'Baby come and kiss me.' She's a one glass of wine; and she's feeling kinda tipsy._

"_She's the giver I wish I could be; and the stealer of the covers. She's a picture on my wall; and my unborn children's mother." _I placed my wing on top of hers that was resting on her stomach and squeezed it tightly. _"She's the wing that I'm holding; when I'm on my knees and praying. She's the answer to my prayers; and she's the song that I'm playing!" _Together we sang the chorus in perfect harmony. Sonny singing "he's" instead of "she's". _"And she's everything I ever wanted; and everything I need! I talk about her, I go on and on and on. 'Cause she's everything to me."_

Then I got on my knees in front of her and sang the last verse quietly, _"She's the voice I love to hear, someday when I'm ninety. She's that wooden rocking chair; I want rocking right beside me. Everyday that passes, I only love her more." _I paused and almost spoke the last line, _"Yeah, she's the one that I'd lay down my own life for." _We both choked up and I couldn't finish. Sonny fell to her knees next to me and we cried happy tears for a while, loving the feel of each other's embrace.

"Eu te amo!" We murmured over and over until the tears dried up and Sonny took up the last little bit of the song. _"And he's everything I ever wanted; and everything I need! He's everything to me. Yeah he's everything to me! Everything I ever wanted; and everything I need! He's everything to me." _She finished with a golden note and kissed me ardently.

Softly she pulled back, and looked into my eyes. "Let's do this." Then she took my wing and held it securely, "Together."


	14. Chapter 14: New Beginnings

**Chapter 14**

**New Beginnings**

A little under a month later Nico, Pedro, and Nora walked through the jungle by the waterfall. Nora's wing was still in the healing process and Pedro hardly left her side. Since they were quite smitten with each other, they now shared Pedro's no-longer-bachelor pad.

Nico paced nervously, twirling his bottle cap on the tips of his flight feathers. Sonora and Nico were soon to be the proud parents of _three_ canary hatchlings. Three eggs to one batch were a little out of the norm for a single sitting, and Nico had been by her side almost every day making sure she had enough to eat and drink, and make sure she didn't get cold.

"Would you just relax? Sonny's going to be fine." Nora chided elbowing her brother-in-law with her good wing.

"Yea. She's done harder things than sitting on a nest." Pedro teased.

"I suppose. I'm just at the end of my nerves. She shouldn't have had to sit this long." Nico sighed

At Sonny's request, Nora and Pedro had dragged Nico out for a night of freedom, flying, and samba. He couldn't stop his thoughts from going back to his mate and his un-hatched chicks though. "I hope she doesn't get lonely. It's so boring sometimes just sitting there. Sonny had me sit on them one day, so she could stretch her wings; I was _soooooooo_ bored! I was almost asleep by the time she got back." Nico explained and chuckled.

"I don't blame you bro. At least you got to help out the cause. I offered to watch the eggs one time and she just shooed me back out the door. Told me I needed to worry more about my little Hot Wing, than about her." Pedro wrapped a grey wing around Nora's iridescently colored shoulders. She kissed his cheek with her long, nectar sipping beak. The red-headed bird shuddered as she did.

"What?" She hopped back offended.

"It just tickled. Sorry." Pedro returned her kiss as an apology.

"I should probably be getting back now." Nico had said that same thing about seventy times that night. It was finally close to midnight so he thought maybe the new couple would be getting tired of him.

"Should we let him go now?" The small hummingbird asked her partner, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know? What would Sonny say?" Pedro asked eyebrows also raised.

"She would say, 'The chicks are coming!'" Clarissa flew up to the group, and excitement radiated off of her.

"Really?" Nico slapped his hat back on his head.

"Yes! They finally started their struggle out of the shell. I had a hard time finding you truthfully, so they will defiantly be further along than when I left." Nico was gone at "Yes!" Zipping through the trees with all possible speed, he nearly flew down some sleepy nighttime drifters in his frantic flight back to his home. As he reached the door to Canary Corner he could hear the sounds of shell being shattered apart.

"Sonny?" The brand new papa bird called walking through the door. Crackling of shell stopped suddenly.

"Nico! There here! Our chicks are here!" She ran out of their room and hugged him. "Grab a scrap of fabric and come on! We've got to dry them off so they don't catch cold." As quickly as the proud mama bird came flying out of the room she went back to her nest. Nico did as he was instructed and hurried after his partner. Three small scraps of soaked, yellow feathers lay, exhausted, in the incubation nest among pieces of their shattered shells. They had constructed another nest so Sonora could have a special place for the eggs, and Nico could still sleep in their nest.

Gently but quickly Sonny scooped up one hatchling and began to rub it softly to warm it up and keep its tiny heart beating. Nico looked at a second chick and imitated his partner's movements. "That's the boy Nico." Sonny told him softly, glancing up from the charge in her wings. "What do you want to name him?" Such tender love and care radiated off of Sonora that Nico saw her in a new light; a new type of undying love filled him as he rubbed this scrap of sopping feathers. This was his new family, and he would love, and protect, them forever.

"Diego. I've always liked the name Diego." Nico said after a moment's thought.

"That's a perfect name!" Sonny placed her, now dry and fluffed up chick in the dry nest. "This one is Gwyn," She gestured to the fluffed up chick, "And this one I thought we would name Selena." Sonora locked her meadow green eyes with Nico's deep amber brown ones. "Without her neither one of us would be here."

"Perfect!" Nico kissed Sonny tenderly across the nest. He finished with Diego and set him down in the nest with his sister. After a few more minutes, the final chick was dried and set in the nest.

"Alright papa bird," Sonny sighed happily. The couple stood in the doorway, wings wrapped around each other, and taking in their first view of their sleeping family. "Let's snuggle in." Together they settled into the nest and fluffed their feathers over their sweet chicks.

"Goodnight Diego, Gwyn, and Selena," Nico murmured in a soft voice that made Sonny swell even more with pride, "We love you to the ends of the earth." He said with his wing around _his_ proud mama bird. "And I love you're mama more than words can possibly explain."

"You're papa is right. I love him very much too." Sonny crooned and looked at her mate. They were both beaming, and felt so full of joy they thought they would explode!

"I love you more."

"I seriously doubt it." Both laughed. Soon, wrapped in each other's wings and fluffed up over their newly hatched chicks, Nico and Sonora fell asleep to the first part of their new chapter.

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><p><strong>And so my editing of this story is finished! I hope you liked it and I hope to see you at <span>Canary Corner: The Chicks Story<span> here soon!**


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